Blazing Aces Chronicles: The Early Years
by RougeBaron
Summary: 3051, the Blazing Aces is destroyed, its leader is murdered by the Smoke Jaguars. Ten years later, the descendants of Duke Gideon Braver Vandenberg rose from the ashes of Inner Sphere. Their objective: to succeed the legacy of their ancestors, to resurrect the Blazing Aces and bring it to prominence it once enjoyed. This is their story.
1. Author's Note, Disclaimer, and Prologue

**BLAZING ACES CHRONICLES**

 _A Battletech Story by RougeBaron_

* * *

 **Author's Note :**

When I first got myself into writing Battletech stories, some 10 – 15 years ago, I started with this piece about the descendant of Gideon Braver Vandenberg trying to rebuild the Blazing Aces. My writing was terrible back then to the point I was ashamed to read it again, but there are some interesting plots in it. I decided to resurrect this piece with a lot of revisions and rearrangement to make it readable by my own standard. However I still maintain some of my old writings, just to remind myself of how long I have come.

So you'll see some goofy writings interspersed with graphic violence, gore, and sheer grossness that you're familiar with from my other stories.

I hope everybody enjoys this.

 **Battletech / Mechwarrior** is copyright of _FASA, Wizkids, Topps, Smith and Tinker, Infocom, ActiVision, Microprose_ , and _Micro$oft Entertainment_.

All rights reserved.

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

 _ **Kaesong, Draconis Combine,  
December 21, 3051**_

A massive jar in the cockpit enlivened Duke Gideon Vandenberg from his trance, robbing him from death he so yearningly expected.

Gideon didn't understand this. His enemies were just four _Griffins_ and a _Phoenix Hawk_. Big deal. His two lances consisted of medium to heavy battlemechs. He had number advantage. He had tonnage advantage. He held the higher ground. And he had the element of surprise. He led his two lances to jump-attack the five unidentified battlemechs, unaware of his position. He thought the battle would be over in minutes.

But these five mechs fought like nothing he had ever seen before. The _Griffins_ moved as fast as a _Wasp_ , hit as hard as a _Crusader_ , with precision sharper than a razorblade, often from impossible range. And the _Phoenix Hawk_ – a mech he intimately knew since he was piloting one – carried two, count that _TWO_ , 10-class Autocannons. How could a 45-ton mech carry TWO Autocannon-10? Gideon didn't know the answer. His eyes saw things his brain refused to compute. His two lances were quickly reduced to scrap metal, leaving him as the sole survivor against these monsters.

 _Who are these guys? Free World? Davion? Steiner?_ The Mariks had been quite advanced technologically, but what were they doing this far from their territory? The Steiners and Davions should be content with worlds they robbed from the Kuritans during the 3039 War, so they wouldn't venture this far off. Pirates? No pirate bands had this much technological marvel.

A stream of missile from one _Griffin_ smote Gideon's _Phoenix Hawk_ dead center, eviscerating the 45-ton mech. The cockpit caved in, crunching his left leg, snapping his femur into three parts. Gideon was too weak to scream. His _Phoenix Hawk_ had been mangled from all directions, crushing his body under the mangled cockpit.

As the _Griffin_ moved in for the kill, Gideon's blood-smeared monitor miraculously flickered to life. A lance of medium to heavy mechs rushed toward his position. His comset crackled weakly, "All unit, this is Captain Jason Youngblood, Crescent Hawks. Anybody hear me? Blazing Aces, do you read?"

 _Jason Youngblood_. Gideon had heard of Katrina's child prodigy from the world of Chara III. He was the thorn in Kurita's flesh, breaking through the thickets of Draconis defense on various occasions. But it wouldn't matter now. The golden boy couldn't save him.

"This is Gideon Braver Vandenberg, Blazing Aces," Gideon picked up his comset. "You're too late. The Aces is destroyed. I've taken precautions, hidden the mechs. Tell Maria... rebuild the Aces. She'll know what to do."

Gideon didn't have a chance to hear Jason's response. The _Griffin's_ missiles hammered through the 'Hawk's torso, tearing the reactor apart. The last thing he saw was a great white light.


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

* * *

 **Review Corner**

 **Starscream** : I am. BattleTech new material is not appealing to me.

* * *

 _ **Inigo Montoya, Merchant-Class Jumpship,  
**_ _ **Arc Royal Orbit, Arc Royal Defense Cordon,  
**_ _ **November 6, 3061**_

Trystan Vandenberg walked into the hallway of the merchant-class jumpship. He was a skinny young man, a 17-year-old 5'9 145 blond with gentle blue eyes, and a kind of goofy smile. But he was an aspiring mechwarrior, despite his funny appearance. He and his twin sister were the grandchildren of the legendary Gideon Braver Vandenburg, the Duke of Anders Moon and the leader of the Blazing Aces mercenary unit.

When the Blazing Aces was destroyed in the world of Kaesong, Trystan was only 7 years old. He vaguely remembered his grandfather, except for his last cryptic message to his mother, Maria Vandenberg. It was the last message he sent before he was killed by the Smoke Jaguars. For ten years Maria tried to rebuild the Blazing Aces, recruiting misfits and oddballs up to 2 lances of battlemechs, but the rebuilt Blazing Aces had never reached the prominence when it was captained by Duke Gideon Vandenberg.

As a part of her mother's scheme to rebuild the Blazing Aces, Trystan had been spending a lot of time in the simulator. But none of his grandfather's greatness appeared in him. He was too slow, too meek, too nervous for quick, brutal combat. And worst, he didn't like to fight. His favorite warfare was snipping. He hit respectable scores against even the most senior member of the Blazing Aces. But it all happened in the simulator. He had not had a chance to go into real combat yet.

Trystan entered the briefing room where the rest of the Blazing Aces were gathering. They were a collection of screwballs; most of them were chatting and bragging about things they did in the past, other were looking at some news about the cold war between the Steiners and the Davions. Her mother stood at the end of the room accompanied by Major Chip Taylor, the CO of the Blazing Aces. Trystan knew him as a veteran of Tukayyid, the great battle that halted the Clan Invasion for 15 years. He was a stocky, muscular man, with grayish hair and deep, brown eyes. Battle scars covered all over his body. Some rumor said that he had an artificial leg. He was locked in a pitched battle against 2 Clan mechs in Tukayyid. His cockpit was so smashed out that the techs had to amputate his leg to get him out of there.

"Alright, Aces, listen up!" the major thundered. "We are a week away from Dustball. This is an intelligent-gathering mission. Our objective is to raid a Lyran base, download some freaking data, get out and get richer. I don't want heroes, just smart, rich warriors".

Chip activated a holo-projector to reveal a holographic firebase in the middle of the room. "Let's get to the details. This is the base. The terrain is pretty much a flat desert, so there'll be no problem. First I want recon of the area. Humberto, Renee, take the twins for a spin through this route and scan the area for hostiles." Chip switched to an overhead map of the area. "Take this pass, scan the area, continue on this pass, then return to base. Your codename is Ace 1. Tim, you're in charge of Ace 2. You'll guard our dropship with Linc, Blitzie, and Archie but watch out for Ace 1 in case they run into trouble. Nice and easy."

Trystan didn't know if he should be excited or nervous. This would be his first real mission in a battlemech, meaning Chip had trusted him enough to go with Humberto and Renee, the recon specialists of the Blazing Aces. But he couldn't help having goosebumps, particularly because his sister – the other half of 'The Twins' as Chip referred to – was not in the briefing room.

"One more thing," Maria, Trystan's mother, added. "I picked this campaign because it is simple. The pay is mediocre at best, but this is a good opportunity to learn chain of command, the feel of the battlefield, and care for each other. Remember your training. Do not try to be a hero. Listen to Chip, and everything will be alright. Any questions?"

"What should we download?" Trystan asked, more out of nervousness instead of curiosity.

"Not our concern," Chip answered. "It's only on need-to-know basis."

"You expect us to download something but you can't tell us what?" Trystan blurted.

"You have a problem with that, Kid?" Chip fumed. He started to walk toward Trystan.

"Chip, I'll handle this," Maria held him before things became out of control.

"What part of chain of command does he not understand?" Chip directed his wrath toward Maria.

"I said I will handle this!" Maria grimaced. "Dismiss. We'll reconvene before touch down."

"Talk to the mutt or he'll get all of us killed!" Chip snorted, then exited the room, followed by the rest of the group.

"Mom…" Trystan started to moan, but Maria raised her hand to cut him off.

"You don't understand the task I have to carry," she said morosely. "Your grandfather's dying wish, my father's dying wish, was for me to rebuild the Blazing Aces. I have come this far to gather a respectable team, and I want you and your sister to be a part of this team too. But I can't go on if you're not in the same page with me."

"Mom, we can fall into an ambush," Trystan said. "What if this is a setup? What if a large Lyran force is waiting for us down there? What if it is not Lyran after all? What if we are to get data from the Clan? We are not equipped to fight the Clans!"

"I know you're scared, but I have made all precautions to make sure you are alright," Maria said with a much gentler tone. "And you will be alright. I handpicked this mission because I know you can learn a great deal of experience from it. You have to learn all the basics as a mechwarrior… follow the chain of command, be alert, be attentive to details, be attentive to your teammates… you have to learn these stuffs before you take command of the Blazing Aces."

"I what?" Trystan cocked his eyebrows. "Take command of the Blazing Aces?"

"Your grandfather founded it. I rebuilt it. You will succeed it. This unit is a family heirloom."

"What about Caelia?" Trystan blurted, referring to his twin sister.

"Caelia?" Maria scoffed. "She has the skill, but she doesn't have the heart. She doesn't even care to attend the meeting. It's always you, Trystan. I build this unit for you." Maria sighed. "Speaking of Caelia, find her and brief her about the meeting. I expect both of you on the simulator at 1600 hours. You need a lot to learn about scouting."

"Alright," Trystan sighed. He went through the same corridor he came and went to his sister's quarter. As he expected, the door was locked from the insight. He banged the door but it remained locked.

"Caelia, come on!" Trystan yelled in frustration. When he got no response, he called one of the jumpship's crew and asked him to open the door. The crewman slid a master key into the slot, and Caelia's door blasted open. The blonde young woman was sitting on the edge of the bed, naked from head to toe, wrapping her legs around Linc, the communication expert of the unit.

"Aw, Trystan! Get out!" Caelia quickly kicked Linc off the bed and slipped under her blanket. "Have you no shame?"

"Mom wants us to hit the simulator at 1600 hours," Trystan said morosely, deeply troubled by his sister's behavior. "We're going on our first mission. It's a reconnaissance. So please, take this seriously. This is for real."

"Jackass!" Caelia threw a pillow at him. "Get out!"

"1600 hours is a long way to go," Linc said, not even making attempt to cover himself. "Wanna join us?"

Trystan shook his head in sheer disgust. "You're an asshole, Linc."

The bronze-skinned man burst into laughter, and as Trystan rushed out of the door, he slammed the door back close. Trystan went into his own quarter. The conversation with his mother didn't help his nervousness. It even made it worse, now that he knew his mother's plan to leave everything in his command. And his sister's attitude made him even more miserable. He felt so lonely.

Puffing an exasperated breath, Trystan reached into his drawer and played the cryptic message of his grandfather's last words. He repeated the message over and over, particularly the last part before everything went to complete static. _Tell Maria... rebuild the Aces. She'll know what to do._

 _Mom knows what to do_ , he said to himself as a last effort to comfort himself. _Mom knows what to do_.


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

* * *

 **Review Corner :**

 **Ulquiorra9000** : The Prologue sequence is canon, or semi-canon (apocryphal) from the game The Crescent Hawk's Revenge. The _Griffins_ and _Phoenix Hawk_ were actually _Griffin IIC_ and _Phoenix Hawk IIC_ of the Smoke Jaguars. _Phoenix Hawk IIC_ is an assault, unlike the medium 45-ton _Phoenix Hawk_ Gideon thought he was fighting.

* * *

 _ **Dropship**_ **NaruHina** _ **, Dustball,  
**_ _ **Arc Royal Defense Cordon,  
**_ _ **November 22, 3061**_

The cramped cockpit of the old _Locust_ -3M made Trystan nervous. He barely had room to shift around to stretch his legs. The bulky neurohelmet felt like crushing his head. Every time he tried to move his head around, he banged something. The _Locust_ wasn't even shooting, and Trystan was naked barring the cooling vest, a pair of short, and boots, but he was already sweating inside the small cockpit.

Through the small plexiglass window he could see his comrades lining up in the dropship's bay. On his right he saw Humberto and his _Javelin_ , Rodriguez. This _Javelin_ was best described as a walking coffin. It changed pilot 24 times; all but Humberto died in the cockpit. Humberto, however, was a stable fighter. Next to it Renee was climbing her _Wasp_ , with a blood-red "Sexy" written on its chest.

Beside Renee stood a pretty _Victor_. This was the finest mech in the company. The pilot, Blitzie, was a wealthy gung-ho that went to mercenary business just to prove to his buddies that he was a combat pilot. He was aggressive, sometimes didn't have understanding about his own mortality. But he piloted a _Victor,_ and in the field, that was what mattered.

On his left, he saw Tim walking towards his _Crusader_ , Malcolm X. Tim was more or less an artillery-man who preferred standing outside the heated battle while spraying the enemy with its LRMs. And Tim's best friend was Archie, another artillery-man in a _Thunderbolt_ which he called "MJ". MJ stood beside Ingemar Johansson, a _Centurion_ piloted by Linc. This _Centurion_ had been modified with combat electronics to wage electronic warfare such as radar jamming, command-control-communication, and identification. Next to Ingemar Johansson stood another relic, an old _Stinger_ piloted by her sister Caelia.

"One minute to drop," the dropship captain announced. Trystan nervously checked his mech, going through his check lists to make sure his mech was in nominal condition. He inspected his weapons for the dozenth time, making sure they worked when he needed them. And since his mech only carried energy weapons, he checked the coolant level too, which was still at the same level as it was 5 minutes ago.

Then his comset rang. Trystan pressed the connect button and his sister's voice crackled.

"Stop checking your stuffs," she quipped. "We'll be fine."

"Why do you think I'm checking stuffs?" Trystan replied aggravatedly.

"I know you, Trystan. You're like some neurotic rodent who's nervous about everything."

"How come you're not? This is our first real mission!"

"Relax, it'll be just like in the simulator. If things get hairy, run."

"This is reality, Caelia. Nothing is like the simulator."

"Come on, everything is going to be alright. We're just scouting the perimeter."

"How many times scouting mission turned into a massacre in history?"

"You need to stop reading horror novels, Trystan. They gave you nightmares."

Even though they were twins, Trystan and Caelia were completely different. Trystan was uptight, nervous, and easily panicked under duress. Caelia was the polar opposite. She was easygoing, carefree, and didn't take things seriously. She wasn't even had the scantest anxiety about her first real mission, the same thing that had turned Trystan's stomach inside out.

"It's almost time," Trystan said while looking at his watch. "Please be careful out there, Caelia."

"Same to you. Try not to worry too much. We'll be back in no time."

"By Kerensky's blood, I hope so," Trystan sighed, just as the dropship door rumbled open. Humberto's _Javelin_ was the first to come out, followed by Renee's _Wasp_. Trystan pushed his joystick gently to bring his _Locust_ out. He formed up on Humberto's left while Caelia took Renee's right.

"Fall in, _ninos_ ," Humberto said through the comlink. "This is very simple. Form up on me at all times. We'll hit 5 Nav points, the 4th one was within visual distance to the firebase. Now remember the golden rule of scouting: If you can see them, they can see you. So watch what you're doing. Do not break formation! If you're lost, or the Lyrans spot you, I will not come for you! Do as I say and you'll be fine. _Se entiende, ninos pequenos_?"

Trystan replied with two taps on his mike. He looked to the left to see Caelia's _Stinger_ gave him a thumbs up. If his mech had hands, he would do the same. So instead he replied by twisting his lasers up and down. The _Javelin_ moved out, setting the pace at 65 kph. Trystan quickly followed suit, falling to formation with a steady stride.

The excursion to Nav point 1 was uneventful. Trystan's radar didn't pick up any heat signature within 1.5 kilo radius. Nav point 2 was more of a challenge. It was located at the slope of a hill, so the mechs had to exercise their skill to travel in uneven terrain. The long legs of the _Locust_ provided effortless stability for Trystan, but Caelia struggled to keep her _Stinger_ in formation. Fortunately her lack of piloting skill was offset by the jumpjets, so she was able to keep up with the rest of the team.

Nav point 3 was in the middle of a desert, so there was nothing in particular. Nav point 4 was located in some rocky hills. Deep in the rocky valley, the Lyran Alliance set up a firebase, constructed of a 40-meter tower with infrared, doppler, and the new, sophisticated image-recognition radar. The HPG station stood some 50 meters to the left, the main computer units were deep inside a hidden cave. Three small hangars were scattered among them. A _Bushwacker_ , two _Whitworths_ , a _Blackjack_ , and 3 _Pegasus_ were guarding the base.

"Passive radar, radio silence," Humberto said, half whispering. "Split the lance. Renee, take Caelia and inspect the west perimeter. Trystan, you're with me. Visual recognition only. Rendezvous at Nav point 4 in 20 minutes."

Trystan did as asked, turning off all electronics and proceeded virtually 'blind'. From the corner of his eyes he watched as the _Wasp_ and his sister's _Stinger_ turned left and tiptoed along the jagged edge of the rocky valley. Humberto's _Javelin_ went to the other direction. Trystan started to follow him, but he accidentally stepped on an unsteady formation. The ledge shook and crumbled.

"Dammit Trystan, _como te atreves a hacerme esto!_ " Humberto snarled through the comlink. "You're giving up our position! Stay away from that ledge! _Ay yi yi_ … _estoy hasta los cojones!_ "

Trystan practically held his breath, gripping his joystick as hard as he could, bracing for impact. Sweat beaded on his forehead. The crumble rattled his mech, and he was waiting for the entire ledge to break and fall 20 meters down the cliff. But miraculously it didn't happen. The rock formation stopped moving. Wasting no time, Trystan pushed his throttle all the way up, clearing the crumbling ledge as fast as possible.

 _What the hell, Trystan?!_ he talked to himself. His head throbbed from the feedback signal of his neurohelmet, but he shrugged it off. He took some quick breaths to gain composure, then returned to his formation. The _Javelin_ paused and 'stared' at the _Locust_ as Humberto pondered if he should continue or abort the mission. Trystan gave him a signal that everything was fine, and Humberto decided to continue.

The _Javelin_ led the way until they were within 1 kilometer away from the firebase. It gave hand signal to the _Locust_ to hold position as it continued to creep toward the firebase. Trystan waited for several minutes until the _Javelin_ went back. Slowly he turned his _Locust_ around and followed his commander, staying away from the crumbling ledge, until they reunited with the _Wasp_ and _Stinger_ at Nav point 4.

From Nav point 4 the lance took a long way around a mountain stretch, and spotted an airfield with several _Seydlitz_ aerospace on the runway. Trystan made sure his battleROM captured the airfield with clear images of the _Seydlitz_ , paying close attention to the Lyran Alliance emblem on the empennages.

"That's it, _compadres_ ," Humberto announced. "We've gotten everything we need. Return to base."

The last leg of the scouting run felt anticlimactic compared to the episode in Nav point 4. Humberto went full speed through a largely flat desert back toward the dropship. After several minutes, Trystan's radar picked up the heat signatures of the dropship and his teammates, and he let out a sigh of relieve.

"I told you we'll be alright," Caelia said through the comlink.

"I wish I could say the same thing, Sis," Trystan said, recalling the incident at Nav point 4. "I screwed up. Mom and Chip are gonna review my battleROM and ground me for the rest of the campaign."

"Pffftt… that's not gonna happen," Caelia replied with a sweet mirth. "You're a noob, and you're the grandson of the founder of the Blazing Aces. You're not gonna get grounded."

"I hope it's that easy," Trystan muttered as he climbed up the dropship ramp.


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

* * *

 **Review Corner**

 **Sulimike23** : What? Do you prefer NaruSaku? ^_-

* * *

 _ **Dropship**_ **NaruHina** _ **, Dustball,  
**_ _ **Arc Royal Defense Cordon,  
**_ _ **November 23, 3061**_

The next morning, Major Chip Taylor called for a mission briefing. "The scout mission was a success," he said as he pulled the overhead map of the Lyran firebase. "The information provided by the recon team shows us positions of not only buildings, but also oppositions. The firebase is heavily guarded by a lance of medium battlemechs and a few hovertanks. Our supposedly simple mission has just got more complicated.

"I see 2 approaches to accomplish our mission: One, frontal attack, wipe out the defenders, then lift off before Lyran's reinforcement arrive. It's the fastest way to get out and get paid, but casualties will be high. Two, sneak attack, lure the battlemechs away, wipe out the hovertanks, then get what we need. Casualties will be minimal, but it will need great coordination. There is no room for mistake."

Chip switched to a holographic image of the airfield they passed by on their way back to the dropship yesterday. "Lucky for us, we have a solution. There is a small Lyran airfield in a close proximity to the firebase. If we attack this airfield, the firebase will split its defending force to support the airbase. Hopefully it sends their battlemechs out. Our tech team can move in, destroy whatever is left defending the base, and get everything we need, then leave the base before the defenders regroup."

"I want another reconnoiter on the airfield," Chip said. "I want a clean sweep of the airfield within 3 clicks perimeter. If there is another firebase nearby, I want to know how long it can send reinforcements. I want to know if the airfield stores any valuable assets. Weapons, logistics, anything. Humberto, take Renee, Caelia and Linc. The rest stay on guard."

Trystan knew he would be snubbed. He made a bad impression on Chip before the mission even started, and he supported it with his incompetence piloting. Somewhere deep in his heart he hoped for the 'preferential treatment' that Caelia suggested, due to the fact that he was the grandson of the founder of the Blazing Aces. But judging from the way Chip ran the unit, he guessed that his chance was pretty slim.

"I need a word with you," Maria Vandenberg hissed, clearly dissatisfied with Chip's decision.

"Fine. Everybody dismiss. Recon team, you leave in 10 minutes. I want this done as soon as possible."

The team left the briefing room, but Trystan stopped at the door, trying to overhear the conversation between his mother and Chip. He felt ashamed that he had to rely on his mother to decide his chance on the battlefield. But he felt like he had no other choice.

"Linc is not even trained for recon duty," Maria said in muffled voice. "His _Centurion_ can't keep up with the rest of the recon team."

"He'll do fine," Chip replied. "I have authorized the _Locust_ for him."

"It's Trystan's mech. You can't take it away from him for one simple mishap. He's just a rookie."

"That mishap could've killed him and Humberto, the most skillful scout of the team."

"And thank Jerome Blake for that. But nothing happened. He'll learn from his mistake."

"I told everyone in the briefing: there is no room for mistake. Everyone, including you."

"If you punish somebody for first mistake, nobody learns anything. We will not grow as a team."

"He shall learn NOT to make mistakes. I don't mean to disrespect, but your son screwed up. He defied me publicly, and he gave up his position during stealth mission. If I didn't do something, I would break the morale of other mechwarriors. You… we will lose the unit."

Trystan heard enough. He hated the decision, but he understood Chip's rationale. Military units worked around discipline and strict hierarchy. Take that from them and they would be no different than a pirate band. No order, just chaos. Perhaps Chip was right, he couldn't just learn from every mistake he made because sometimes it would be too late to learn. He had to learn not to make one in the first place.

Leaving the briefing room Caelia greeted him. She was prepped in her mechwarrior gear, draped only in cooling vest, a skimpy short, and a pair of boots. "I am sorry, Bro," she said empathically while wrapping her arms around his neck. "I really thought you were off the hook."

"That's OK, it's for the best," Trystan replied. "It's the price I have to pay for screwing up."

"Anybody can make that mistake. How are you supposed to know that the cliff was unsteady?"

"But you didn't."

"I was just lucky." She leaned on the railing, overlooking the mech bay downstairs. "I know you tried really hard, and I just hate to see the opportunity is taken away from you. It's not fair; I'm the one who's supposed to be grounded for my attitude. You know, for skipping briefings and simulators and such."

Trystan joined his twin leaning on the rail, smiling at the irony. It was, indeed, a rather bigoted turn of event. Caelia never had disciplinary action from skipping training sessions, aside from getting an earful from their mother. She had never gotten dispossessed for something she intentionally did, like missing a briefing or fraternizing with her fellow mechwarrior. On the other hand, Trystan did everything by the book, but one mistake and his mech was taken away from him.

"Maybe your offenses are far less punishable than mine," Trystan quipped.

"Or maybe Mom just likes you more than me," Caelia shoved his shoulder playfully. "You're Mom's golden child, Trystan. You always are."

"That's not true. We're the same. We're siblings. We're twins."

"She dispossessed you because she was freaking out. Me? Pfffttt…" Caelia said, half complaining. "I missed the briefing and she still let me go."

"Actually it was Chip's decision. Mom fought for my behalf but Chip spurned her."

Caelia shot a quick look at her brother, and for a split second he caught a glimpse of jealousy in her eyes. It didn't happen very often, considering she was borderline indifferent toward mechwarrior business. But there were rare incidents where she showed affection.

"Maybe Chip is jealous," she turned her eyes back at the mechs downstairs.

"Come on, Caelia, Chip is protecting the unit," Trystan scoffed. "I understand his decision."

"He missed the mission's most important parameter, didn't he?" Caelia mumbled. "Our objective? Didn't you address it and got into trouble as the result?"

"We don't know that. We don't know if he didn't know about it or he just didn't want to share it."

"He said it was not our concern."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't know. Maybe he does know."

"Whatever," Caelia huffed. "I still think your punishment is too severe, and if I take into account that he reacted strongly to your inquiry about the mission parameter, I sense something insidious."

"What are you saying, Sis?" Trystan was intrigued. Caelia was carefree but it was foolish of him to think that she was not paying attention. In fact, she captured things he completely missed. "Do you not trust Chip?"

"I don't know," she said, looking at her brother in the earnest. "I just told you what I see. I didn't tell you what I think because I haven't given a thought about it."

Trystan already opened his mouth when Linc came by. "Babe, time to rock and roll," he said to Caelia. He grabbed Caelia's butt, turned to Trystan and said, "I'll bring your mech in one piece," clicked his tongue and made a gesture mimicking a gun with his fingers.

"Coming," Caelia said, but she looked at Trystan one more time. "Think about what we just talked, Trystan. I'd like to continue our conversation some other time."

Trystan gave her sister a thumb, then watched the two regroup with Humberto and Renee. The conversation with his sister still lingered long after the recon team went out of the dropship. He didn't want to start questioning his commanding officer, but her sister just opened his eyes about Chip's behavior. Chip did avoid his question about the objective of this mission. Trystan thought he was the only one that cared about it.

But at this point he didn't have enough to accuse Chip of anything. He decided to shelf the conversation and trust his commanding officer, for now. But he made a mental note to open his eyes and watch for any unorthodox decision Chip made in the future.


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

 **Review Corner :**

 **SulliMike23** : As long as you're happy, I'm happy.

 **Ulquiorra9000** : It's the Murphy's Law, he who can't handle distractions usually gets the most distractions. Trystan is developed with Charlie Day in mind. He usually plays a nervously neurotic and overzealous character in movies ("Spaceship! Spaceship! SPACESHIP!").  
And of course there will be infighting, bickering among lance mates, and probably mutiny in the future. It's my trademark :)

* * *

 _ **Dropship**_ **NaruHina** _ **, Dustball,  
**_ _ **Arc Royal Defense Cordon,  
**_ _ **November 24, 3061**_

Dawn barely broke but all mechwarriors had gathered in the mechbay in their gear. The second recon run gave Major Chip Taylor plenty of confidence to carry out the main mission. The atmosphere was tensed; Chip pulled up a large overhead map in the middle of the mechbay while technicians ran final checks on the battlemechs.

"We only have 8 mechs so I'll deviate from regular lance configuration," Chip said with strained voice. "Blitzie, Tim, Archie, Humberto, and Renee, you're Team Romeo. Your objective is the airfield. As of 1800 hours yesteday, the airfield did not have battlemech protection. There were only Seydlitz aerofighters and a couple of laser turrets. I want everything ablaze in 3 minutes, including the hangars. Blitzie, you're the lead."

"They won't know what hit them," Blitzie, the rich gung-ho, shot a sinister smile. "Another fun for the old _Victor_."

"Good enthusiasm, but don't lose head," Chip sneered at Blitzie. "You get the fun, but remember you are just a distraction. Our main objective is the firebase. Linc, you lead Team Sierra with The Twins. You will carry our main mission. Once Romeo commences the attack on the airfield, the firebase will send reinforcement. As soon as the reinforcement force gets out of radar, move in and get what you need. You may have to engage enemy units but your objective is the information. Twins, protect Linc at all cost. This entire operation depends on him."

"It should take me around 20 to 30 seconds to break into their mainframe and download the database," Linc said. "I can still fight but I can't move much. Just cover my back from opportunistic shots."

"We'll get you covered," Caelia gave Linc an assuring nod, and a suggestive wink.

"Once Team Sierra is done, everybody pulls out," Chip continued. "Disengage any enemy unit and make it to the dropship as quickly as possible. We'll lift off once everybody's on board. Any question? Good, you have your orders. Go to your mechs and stick to your plan. I will see everybody back in 45 minutes."

Trystan was about to dismiss when Chip called for him. "Hang on, boy!" He came with fury in his eyes, and even though he was a few inches shorter than Trystan, his intensity made him bigger than he actually was. "You're in this mission because we are short on mechwarriors. You may think your mother owns this unit, but on the field I run the operations. I don't care who you are, and I don't care who your ancestor was. If you screw this one up like you did 2 days ago, I will leave you behind. Understood?"

"Yes Sir," Trystan replied. He understood Chip's position, and despite Caelia's assessment about Chip's behavior, he decided to follow Chip's lead. He gave Chip a quick salute and an assuring nod, then turned around and climbed his _Locust_. A chilling thought flashed at the back of his mind, wondering if this entire operation was a set up and Chip was involved in it. But he shrugged it off and decided to focus on his objective.

He was barely settled in his cockpit when his comm button flashed. "Trystan, I know you don't like me," Linc said through private comlink. "But I really like your sister. I'm not gonna hurt her. In fact I make sure she is happy and satisfied every time we're together."

 _Just what I need before a critical operation_ , Trystan groaned. "Look, my sister is a big girl. You don't need my permission to hook up with her. And neither does she."

"I just want you to know, since I don't want ill feelings between lance mates."

"Duly noted," Trystan spat as he initiated his mech. "Now let's focus on the mission."

"Good, then," Linc replied shortly, then switched to general frequency. "Alright, Vandenberg Twins, form up on me. I want tight formation. Keep your guns hot but do not engage anything unless we absolutely have to. I want to run silent to avoid enemy radars."

Trystan ran a quick check on his mech, then followed Linc's _Centurion_ out of the dropship. Linc set up an easy 50 kph run, which he and his sister easily followed. They cruised through the darkness, setting their radar in passive mode to avoid getting picked up by enemy units.

Trystan tried to focus on the mission ahead but he couldn't dismiss the thought of Caelia hooking up with Linc. He knew his sister liked Linc, or at least to hang out with him. They shared a thin wall, and he could hear her having a good time, which happened quite a lot. Trystan had seen Linc naked. He knew what Linc packed between his taut, toned legs. The thought of Linc ravishing his sister with it made him want to throw up.

But aside from his physique, he didn't see anything worth mentioning from Linc. He was a misfit, changing units 3 times in the last 5 years. Somebody that couldn't hold a steady job had an issue, either with authority or the quality of his work. Or so Trystan thought. His sister had a discipline problem of her own but compared to Linc she was an angel. Trystan hated it to see his sister sink deeper into disorientation.

And why Maria let her daughter date a guy like Linc still escaped him.

Next time he knew, they arrived at the Lyran firebase. Trystan looked around, trying to find a good place to hide. There was a small bump about 300 m from where he stood. He took cover behind the bump, while the _Centurion_ and his sister's _Stinger_ crouched near the ledge, the same ledge that crumbled under his feet two days ago. Down under the ledge the four battlemechs stood unknowingly. The hovertanks circled around the firebase, but their radar couldn't pick up the three incoming mechs on the ledge.

"Team Sierra, in position," Linc reported.

"Stand by Sierra," Chip's voice came in hoarsely. They waited for a couple minutes, then Blitzie's overzealous scream flooded the comlink. "YEEEEHAAAA… Burn, Baby, Burn!"

The comlink suddenly went alive with animated chatter, interspersed with static and the sound of explosion. The Lyran defenders regrouped at the center of the firebase. They must have received the distress signal from the airfield. Just like Chip predicted, they decided to split their forces. The _Bushwacker_ and _Blackjack_ left the firebase while the 2 _Whitworths_ and the 3 _Pegasus_ stayed behind.

"That's unexpected," Linc said, clearly annoyed with the turnout. "Alright, here's the plan. Everybody take one Pegasus and burn it. Once they are out, you Twins gang up on one _Whitworth_. I'll take care of the other one. Everybody copy?"

"Copy," Trystan and Caelia replied almost in unison.

"Alright, here we go! Charge!"

Trystan slammed his foot on the pedal. His _Locust_ broke into sprint, climbing down the ledge in full speed. He quickly got in range and fired his medium laser at the rear of a Pegasus. Its armor melted, exposing the internal structure and ammunition storage.

The hovertank immediately turned around and unleashed a barrage of missiles, followed savagely by bursts of pulse lasers. All but 3 missiles missed, but the dead-on missiles staggered the _Locust_. Trystan was thrown side to side as the _Locust_ lurched, compensating the missiles' impact. Armor shards filled the air.

Fighting the pain and throbbing head, Trystan recalled all simulator battle sequences he'd gone through and fired his lasers, the first of which missed the Pegasus miserably, the next hit the port side, but just melted armor. He swung hard to the left, outflanking the tank and fired another round. This time the tank's exhaust port blew up. The Pegasus reeled to a complete halt, but still managed to fire another round of missiles. Trystan ducked hard to avoid this volley. He turned to the rear of the hovertank and sunk his alpha strike into the exposed ammunition storage. The stored ammo bins exploded, igniting the tank and its crew into a bonfire.

Firing his laser in quick successions turned his cockpit steaming hot. Trystan brought his mech to a jog, watching how his lance mates fared. Linc had little trouble with the Pegasus and now started to engage a _Whitworth_. Caelia was still locked with the remaining Pegasus, and the other _Whitworth_ , a big mech twice the size of his _Locust_ , was latching on to him, waiting for a good shot.

Trystan instinctively yanked his joystick, bringing his _Locust_ to lean far to the right, but it was too late. The _Whitworth's_ launchers erupted in white smoke, and ten missiles slammed into the _Locust_ right torso, already damaged by the Pegasus, completely searing the whole structure, including the right small laser.


	6. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

 **Review corner:**

 **Ulquiorra9000:** That was a sloppy writing on my part. Thank you for the pointer. I have fixed the chapter.

* * *

 _ **Lyran Firebase, Dustball,  
**_ _ **Arc Royal Defense Cordon,  
**_ _ **November 24, 3061**_

Debilitated by panic and fear, Trystan crossed his arms in front of his face as the _Locust_ tumbled sideways. Broken plexiglass burst into the cockpit. Burnt armor filled the cockpit. Warning signs went haywire like strobe lights. Trystan was soaked by sweat. He inspected his mech only to find his _Locust_ was bleeding oil and fuel. Steam hissed from several points. Sparks ignited grease, setting fire in the main torso.

The _Whitworth_ raised its arm to deal further damage but suddenly jerked forward. Trystan watched in horror as his sister's _Stinger_ stood in defiant, shooting at the back of the _Whitworth_. Trystan knew that the _Stinger's_ armor was just as thin as his _Locust's_. She wouldn't stand a chance against the 40-ton _Whitworth_.

"Get up!" Caelia's voice crackled in his comset. "Run, Trystan! Run!"

"No, Caelia, get out of the way!" Trystan struggled to get up. "Do not engage! Get out of there!"

"I will hold it as long as I can!" Caelia replied as she fired both machine guns like a maniac.

But her bullets didn't even put a dent on the _Whitworth_. The medium mech turned around and unloaded on the _Stinger_. One laser strand struck its shoulder. One landed on the torso. One ripped open its waist. The missiles wiped out its leg armor, taking away struts. The _Stinger_ shuddered hard and came to a complete halt.

Trystan, bleeding from nose and mouth, realized his sister wouldn't survive the _Whitworth_ total assault. Pain and fear paralyzed him, but the sense of urgency took charge, realizing that his sister's life depended on his stalling of the _Whitworth's_ missile attack. He pulled his mech back up and fired everything he had left at the back of the _Whitworth_. The twin laser strands turned a slab of armor into molten slag, but the _Whitworth_ didn't budge. It fired its lasers at the _Stinger_. Two laser beams singed the _Stinger's_ right arm as the 20-ton mech staggered by the loss of mass. Trystan fired again, further chastising the _Whitworth's_ back armor, but the medium mech still ignored him. Running out of option, Trystan floored the pedal, twisted right as far as he could, then rammed his mech onto the back of the _Whitworth_.

A sickening crunch reverberated as the _Locust's_ left torso ground against the _Whitworth's_ back. The _Whitworth_ didn't expect such violence. It jerked forward and dropped to one knee. The rear structure, weakened by Trystan's assault, caved in and breached several power lines. The _Locust_ fared worse fate. Its left torso was severely mauled. Its reactor was failing. Fire raged out of control, and Trystan knew his mech was done for. But it still had some juice left, and he was determined to stay until he was sure his sister was safe.

 _Come on, Caelia, save yourself_ , he prayed.

But against Trystan wish, Caelia charged the _Whitworth_ with all guns blazing. The _Whitworth_ groggily pulled itself up, but Caelia fired her jets, catapulting her _Stinger_ over its head. She landed in a jarring crash, almost breaching both legs in the process, but still maintained an upright position. She twisted as far as she could and fired her medium laser right onto the caved section of the _Whitworth's_ back. A series of explosions rocked the _Whitworth_ , followed by a massive fireball that eviscerated the medium mech. It staggered hard then crumbled forward with face flat on the ground.

Trystan pulled his _Locust_ up with every bit of energy he had left, then turned toward his sister's badly limping _Stinger_. Its leg actuators were shredded to pieces. It was a miracle that it still could move by its own power. Trystan doubted it would make it back to the dropship.

"You fool!" Caelia blurted on the comlink. "Why did you do that? Trying to prove something?"

"I can't let you take all the bullets," Trystan replied matter-of-factly. "I owe you my life."

"I owe you mine."

"Then consider us even."

"Smart ass," Caelia chuckled. "We did our part. It's up to Linc to finish the mission. Hope he's got a better fortune than us."

The _Centurion_ did not have difficulties with the other _Whitworth_. Three good missile salvos to the leg damaged the _Whitworth_ knee, making it limping badly, hindering its ability to dodge blows. The _Centurion_ raised its arm and bombarded the _Whitworth's_ torso. A deafening explosion rocked the _Whitworth_ burning body, so intense the aftershock wave staggered the _Locust_ and _Stinger_.

"All units, report!" Linc said. His _Centurion_ was not without battle damages, but it was in much better condition than the two light mechs. "Caelia? Trystan?"

"I'm fine," Caelia replied.

"I'm OK, but my mech has reached combat loss grouping," Trystan added.

"Acknowledged," Linc said. "Breaking into Lyran mainframe. Stand by."

As Linc did his job, Trystan tried to gauge the condition of his mech. His mech could only make 30 kph. His armor was almost stripped bare. All guns were destroyed. And the coolant container broke, spilling green ooze all over the place.

"Download complete!" Linc stated. "All units, make your best speed back to base."

"I can only make 30," Trystan replied.

"I can only do 20," Caelia tuned in. "My mech lost most of leg's structural integrity."

"Crap," Linc cursed. He switched to general frequency. "All units, this is Sierra. Objective completed, but combat loss grouping on the _Locust_ and _Stinger_. Returning to base, ETA 5 minutes."

"Lyran reinforcements have been detected, ETA 3 minutes," Chip replied. "Romeo will hold them as long as they can, but you don't have much time."

"Come on, Twins! You can make it!" Linc said. "Move it, soldiers! Get them up and run!"

Trystan routed all energy to the remaining myomer bundles, cranking up his _Locust_ to stride past 30 kph. He watched for his sister, making sure she could keep up with him. Caelia's _Stinger_ hobbled and wobbled, barely making it 20 kph, but when she started falling behind she fired her jets to jump past the _Locust_ , then kept up her pace until Trystan passed her. Linc's _Centurion_ jogged a few dozen meters from them.

They kept doing the routine until they came within 1.2 kilometers from the dropship. Unfortunately Lyran reinforcements started gaining on them. Two _Jagermech_ _III's_ spearheaded the charge, followed by half a dozen medium to heavy mechs. It wasn't long until particle bolts and cannon shells exploded all around them.

"We're taking fire!" Linc yelled. "Need immediate assistance!"

"All units, cover fire for Sierra!" Chip roared. "Move it, Sierra! Get your asses in here!"

The dropship launched a massive volley of missiles and PPC blasts, covering a wide area behind Linc's _Centurion_. The incoming Lyran halted their advance for a brief moment, waiting for the dropship to reload, then directed their fire at the dropship. It gave Trystan and Caelia much needed time to make their final drive into the dropship.

With the last remaining power Trystan dragged his mech into the dropship and anchored it on an empty bay. He grasped the edge of his command couch as the big Union dropship shuddered, taking shots after shots from Lyran mechs. Each shot rattled his teeth. He watched the dropship crew work relentlessly to secure his mech to the bay, then switch to Caelia's _Stinger_. Sweat streamed down his cheek as he anxiously waited, knowing that while the dropship held itself admirably against the Lyran onslaught, it might break anytime.

 _Come on, come on, come on, come on_ …. Trystan whispered haphazardly.

Linc waited until the _Locust_ and _Stinger_ were secured, then sprinted into the mechbay. "I'm in!" he screamed. "Lift off! Lift off! Lift off!"

The big dropship rumbled as its massive rockets blasted. Trystan's vision blurred as the G-force felt like the entire dropship was crushing him. His breaths came in gasps, and for several minutes he sat motionless in his command couch, fighting for air

For what seemed like hours, the dropship continued to creak and rumble under the intense G-force. Then the vibration tapered off. Trystan took several deep breaths then exited his mech. His mother was already waiting for him on the ground, and threw herself at him the moment his feet touched the grated floor.

"Thank Kerensky you are alive," Maria said as she buried her face on his shoulder.

"We are all," Trystan replied, watching Caelia climbing down her mech. "We all survive."

Caelia came and traded quick hug with Maria, then left in favor of Linc. She buried her face in his chest, sweating profusely from the intensity of the battle and the near-catastrophic encounter with the Lyrans.

"Great job you two," Linc said, trying to sound professional in front of Maria. "Chip will review your battleROM to see both of you doing tremendous work against Lyran defenders. I will give you two my full recommendation."

"Thanks," Trystan grabbed Linc's hand. "And thank you for not leaving us out there."

"Thank you for taking care of my children," Maria added.

"It's my job," Linc nodded. "Let's get out of here."

As Linc and Caelia shared a passionate kiss, Trystan smiled. The short campaign gave him a new perspective about himself, his team, and his teammates. He started off rocky but in the end he put himself on the same ground as everybody in the room. He scored his first kill, and even though it was just a hovertank, it was enough to give him a boost in confidence. And his sister, although she had little grasp about military discipline, was actually a reliable combatant in the battlefield. Maybe she was a natural in battlemech warfare. Trystan didn't care. His only care was that he could always count on his sister in any situation.


	7. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

 _ **Ander's Moon,  
**_ _ **Elidere System, Matsuida Prefecture,  
**_ _ **New Samarkand Military District, Draconis Combine,  
**_ _ **January 25, 3062**_

The short campaign to Dustball proved to be a costly one. The Blazing Aces delivered the objective and received compensation according to the contract, but the need to repair the _Locust_ , _Stinger_ , and dropship drained most of the contract compensation. Maria argued that it was primarily an investment mission, in which the experience would be invaluable in developing the Blazing Aces. But most of the mechwarriors were not happy with the outcome. They didn't want experience. They wanted money.

Trystan felt largely responsible for the condition of the Blazing Aces, so he spent most of his downtime in the hangar, watching the technicians work around the clock to bring his _Locust_ up to speed. But he was not an engineer. His presence in the hangar only annoyed the technicians.

"You guys mess up, I fix! You go, I stay! And you just come here asking 'How's my mech doing?' You never appreciate my work you sonofa…" and the tech went on. He was a grumpy old man. He liked battlemech like a piece of art, and it tore his heart to see mechs rip each other up.

"I just wanna help," Trystan replied morosely. "Is there something I can do?"

"Well if you wanna help, then drive better so you don't give your mech to me in this condition!" the tech groused. "You're not piloting an _Atlas_ , kid! Use your head!"

Trystan knew he wouldn't make things better by hanging out in the hangar. Perhaps the technician gave him a good advice: he needed to improve his piloting skill. He left the hangar and went to the simulation room to learn a few new maneuvers.

He was halfway across the hall when his comset rang. "Trystan, I need you on the briefing room," his mother called. "We have something to discuss."

"Coming," Trystan replied. He was sure his mother would give him an earful about his piloting skill. He knew she had a hard time with the rest of the mechwarriors, and she might want to make him aware of that. The truth was he already put the blame on himself, so he thought he could handle everything. In this business somebody had to be the scapegoat, and he knew it had to be him.

But when he stepped into the briefing room, only Maria and Caelia were present. They were conversing about something, and judging by their body language Trystan knew they were in high spirit. It might not have anything to do with him.

"We have good news," Maria said as Trystan stepped in. "We got an outsourcing from Hansen's Roughriders. A nation in Chaos March, Duchy of Small, needs a mercenary unit with battlemech resources. The world of Ingress is boiling with pogroms and political unrest. The majority of people are attacking elite citizens who are backed up by the militia. It is suspected that Word of Blake is behind this unrest. Ducal Militia, the only battlemech unit in the duchy, had been recalled to Small World to defend the capital, leaving Ingress with Ingress Legions, an infantry unit without battlemech support. The Roughriders are currently busy with the Lyrans so Wolfgang Hansen opened a tender. We won the bid."

"Chaos March, Bro!" Caelia slapped Trystan in the arm. "This one ought to be good. We have the skillset to do long campaigns. Capellan and Free World made a royal mess out there. Mercenaries from all over Inner Sphere fought for lucrative contracts. We could get a piece."

"There are also terrorists, bounty hunters, and the Word of Blake. Word of Blake, ferchrissake! The more money we are offered, the more savages we have to deal with."

"Are you scared?" Caelia smiled. "Don't tell me you're scared!"

"I'm not! I'm just… worried," Trystan took a deep breath. "I messed up so bad on an easy campaign. What would I do on a long, atrocious one?"

"How's your _Locust_ by the way?" Caelia teased him, knowing that Trystan couldn't stand idle until his mech was repaired.

"Bad," Trystan sighed. "The engine gyro is damaged beyond repair. They had to get a new one. Of all the things the techs have to fix, mine is in the worst condition. I feel like I am dragging everybody with me."

"Our mechs were busted up, but we could've been worse," Caelia replied with her usual carefree attitude. "Linc wouldn't be able to fight 2 _Whitworths_ at the same time. The mission would've failed, and we would've eaten all the cost."

"I still feel bad."

"Look, forget about Dustball," Maria said. "You may have botched that one but the experience you gained was immeasureable. Now it is time to put that experience to use. I'm sure you'll do well." She turned on the holoprojector to show Ingress aerial map. "Ingress Intel report stated that as of today this is campaign is just urban duties to assist the Ingress Legion restoring order. There is no Word of Blake presence so far. Our battlemech support is primarily for intimidation factor only."

"Can we trust this report?" Trystan mumbled. "What if this is a Word of Blake trap?"

"Then maybe we need to fight our way out," Maria said. "If you're still worried about your skill, I have procured a new simulation package. Try that and see how you feel about yourself."

"And also try the 'Absolutely Unwinnable' secret level, in case we fall into Word of Blake ambush," Caelia quipped, grinning from ear to ear. "I got slaughtered in 16 seconds. See if you can beat my time."

"That's enough Caelia," Maria shot a stern look at Caelia. "We'll leave in 2 days. The battlemechs might not be fully repaired by then but I will make sure the techs bring everything they need to the dropship. We'll get them ready before we arrive at Ingress. In the meantime, pack your things."

"Way to kick me when I'm down, Caelia," Trystan grumbled as they left the briefing room.

"When are you not down?" Caelia chimed casually. "You're always down. I have never seen you enjoy life. Get out, get laid, have fun. Life's a gift; enjoy it. Don't waste it over frets."

"And risk my life against the Word of Blake?"

"Mom said it was only hearsay at the moment."

"What if it's true? We'll be badly undertrained against them."

"It won't make a difference. You think we can survive a full-blown Word of Blake ambush even if we are sufficiently trained? I don't think so. There are things you just have to let go and let fate decide, Trystan."

"So you're not gonna train?"

"I will, but not now. Linc and I are going to watch some Solaris games. You can hang out with us."

"Games?" Trystan squinted. "How can games help us against the Word of Blake?"

"Come on, the new season is starting," Caelia said cheerfully. "Leftenant Kyle Garret is competing in the lightweight class."

"Who the hell is Kyle Garret?" Trystan replied curtly.

"Davion ace, 150 Davion Guards. He's good. He's young but he's got guts. People expect him to fight Thunder Thorley, a Capellan veteran with great skill. Young versus old. Guts versus skill. Davion versus Liao. One hundred percent chance of fireworks, guaranteed. "

"I don't have time for games," Trystan mumbled. "I'm going to the simulator."

"You know, overtraining is just as bad as no training at all," Caelia started to get annoyed. "Books and simulator sessions are just a small portion of your combat survival. You can only prepare yourself so much. The rest is beyond your control."

"I believe in sound preparation," Trystan snarled.

"I believe in luck," Caelia replied and walked away. "My door is still open if you change your mind."

It was hard for Trystan to follow Caelia's logic. The advent of the biggest operation in their lives was coming and she didn't feel the need to prepare herself. He felt betrayed by her slacking off. The time would come where he needed her, and she wouldn't be able to assist him because she wasn't trained to face that sort of situation. Or there would be time where he had to bail her out of a bad situation due to her lack of training. And Trystan had heard many bad things about the Word of Blake. Caelia made a point, that even if they were fully trained as mechwarriors, they wouldn't be able to beat the Word of Blake. But it was not an excuse to skip training. Everything had a weakness, and the only way to exploit it was through training.

Suddenly that 'Absolutely Unwinnable' level didn't sound ridiculous anymore… if Caelia was telling the truth.


	8. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

 _ **Grand Port, Ingress,  
**_ _ **Duchy of Small, Chaos March,  
**_ _ **April 3, 3062**_

"Ten seconds to dust off."

Trystan always hated the final moments of the atmospheric travel. The dropship rattled like a kid trying to get his coins out of a piggybank. The G-force turned his stomach upside down. And more than often the touchdown went so rough he felt the entire dropship fell unto his mech. He was worried that the extensive vibration would damage his mech. It had never happened before, but considering his _Locust_ was older than 10 years old and had been hot-wired numerous times, the rough landing might shake some cables loose.

The final bump was easy on this one, much to Trystan's delight. The door quickly rumbled open, and as soon as the technicians cleared his mech, Trystan kicked it into high gear. He was the first one out of the dropship. Outside, half a dozen other dropships were taking cargos. Cars, trucks, armored vehicles, humans, all blended into one gigantic mass on the tarmac. An unmistakable scene of evacuation.

 _Which side is running?_ Trystan thought as he observed the exodus. The latest sitrep from Ingress Legions reported that the majority of people had gained significant advantage over the Legions. Somebody was supplying the people with weapons, and even though no battlemechs had been spotted, the supplied weapons were enough to drive the Legions out of Grand Port. To his understanding the Legions backed up the government and the elite citizens. _So who is behind this anarchy? What does he gain by this disorder?_

It was called Chaos March, after all.

"Welcome to Grand Port," a Warrior H-7 helicopter flew by as more battlemechs came out of the dropship. "This is Sergeant Vicky Lantham, Ingress Legions 3rd Company. The situation is critical. Regular citizens have turned into armed thugs. They are slaughtering government agents and elite minorities. Ingress Legions are spreading thin, and getting thinner by the hour. The city councilmembers were still trapped in a building. We need a few fast battlemechs to assist evacuation."

"Humberto, Renee, Twins, go with Sergeant Lantham!" Chip ordered.

"Wedge formation, weapons hot!" Humberto's _Javelin_ bolted out of the dropship. Renee's _Wasp_ and Caelia's _Stinger_ swiftly sandwiched the _Javelin_ , and Trystan brought his _Locust_ slightly behind Caelia to close the formation. The technicians did a good job fixing the old _Locust_. Trystan didn't feel any rough vibration. It galloped smoothly over debris and broken pavement as he maintained formation with the rest of the lance.

The light lance followed the helicopter through the war torn city. Burning cars and buildings with holes and no windows dominated the background. People scurried to find refuge, but once in a while somebody took potshots from inside a building or behind a pile of debris. They maintained their course until they arrived at a bridge.

"The thugs may use this bridge to cut off the evacuation route of the councilmembers," Sergeant Latham stated as they crossed the bridge. "We need to set up a blockade so they can't use this bridge."

"Trystan, Caelia, hold position and set up perimeter defense," Humberto said. "Nobody goes through this bridge!"

"Roger that," Trystan replied and slowed his mech down.

"Affirmative," Caelia added. She slowed down to a complete halt right next to the _Locust_.

The _Javelin_ and _Wasp_ continued farther into the heart of the city. Pillars of smoke billowed in the distance, complemented by rattling sound from machine guns and occasional explosions. Trystan had never seen a full scale war with his own eyes, only in the news or simulation. The scenery gave him goosebumps.

Twenty minutes passed and nothing happened. Not a single human being or vehicle got close to the bridge. There were some Karnov transports flying over the bridge, but Trystan guessed they were the Legions' transports to carry troops, ammunition, and evacuate citizens to the dropships.

"We are not to shoot Karnovs, are we?" Trystan hailed his sister. "Do you think the thugs have Karnovs?"

"Don't know," Caelia replied matter of factly. "Our order is not to let anybody pass. I'm assuming it's for wheeled vehicles. Karnovs don't need a bridge."

"What if they are the thugs?"

"Oops."

"What do you mean 'Oops'?" Trystan started to get aggravated by his sister's lack of seriousness. "Caelia, people depend on us! There are unarmed citizens behind us that will die if the thugs break through! Didn't you listen to Sergeant Latham? Thugs are slaughtering people!"

"Our job is to defend this bridge so the thugs do not intercept the councilmen," Caelia snorted. "We are not doing unarmed citizen a service. You need to pay attention to the mission parameter, Trystan. Don't blow up things out of proportion."

"I am not blowing things…" Suddenly his radar blipped. "Something's coming." He switched to active radar. A dozen trucks and APCs carrying infantrymen raced through the streets, coming toward the bridge. "Caelia, we got hostiles! Trucks and APCs full of thugs!" As the convoy got closer, the radar picked up the signature of shoulder-mounted SRMs and RPGs. "Missile launchers coming inbound!"

"Dropship command, this is Caelia Vandenberg," Caelia called for her superiors. "We have 12, count that 12 vehicles trying to cross the bridge. SRMs and RPGs sighted. Confirm that these guys are not Ingress Legions."

"Sergeant Latham?" Chip Taylor yelled.

"Negative, negative," the helicopter pilot replied. "No Legions will use that bridge. Blow them up, Aces!"

"That settles it," Caelia took a fighting stance and readied her machine guns. "Get ready, Bro!"

Trystan aligned his crosshair with the closest truck. Two trucks full of armed men led the convoy. They climbed the ramp but stopped at 150 meters in front of the mechs. The men climbed down the trucks and started to activate their shoulder-mounted SRMs and RPGs. As they aimed their launchers at the mechs, Trystan fired his medium laser. The truck closest to him exploded in an instant, throwing the thugs around.

Caelia followed with her machine guns, mowing down thugs like twigs. Blood sprayed as the .50-caliber bullets mutilated the thugs. Mortal screams blended with the machine gun rattle. Half of the bullets rained down on the other truck, ripping the engine apart. The truck went up in a fireball, wiping out the remaining thugs.

The remaining trucks backed up but the APCs pushed through the flaming trucks, trying to break the blockade. Trystan fired his small lasers right at an APC. Molten armor drooped down in a bubbling mass, but the APC still rolled. Its twin heavy machine guns blazed in fury, sending hot depleted-uranium slugs in Trystan's direction. Trystan winced as bullets ricocheted all over the _Locust_.

As soon as the medium laser recycled, Trystan hit the trigger. Emerald beam stabbed the APC right in the cockpit, incinerating everything inside. The APC lost control and skidded on the asphalt before crashing into the bridge's wall.

Another APC pounced at Caelia's _Stinger_ with both guns blazing. Caelia withstood the bullet storm then hit her alpha strike, sending blinding flash of laser and bullets of her own. The APC jerked as millions of joule hit its hull, and hot slugs smashed through the plexiglass cockpit. The boxy vehicle banked hard to the right and overturned. The door slid open, spewing thugs with shoulder-mounted SRMs, but Caelia quickly cut them down with her precision shooting.

Loosing vehicles in an alarming rate, the thugs changed tactics. They dismounted their trucks and fired their missiles and RPGs from behind the crashed vehicles. Missiles whistled in the air and slammed into the mechs' torso. Trystan gnashed his teeth as the neurohelmet feedback signal made his head spinning. The _Locust_ swayed to the left but Trystan yanked his joystick hard to the right. Two more missiles raked his mech and the _Locust_ dropped to its knees.

"Bastards!" Trystan growled as he pulled his mech back up. He lined up his crosshair with the overturned APC then fired everything he got. A surge of hot air gushed into the cockpit, and the console rang, warning him that the _Locust_ could not afford one more alpha strike without catastrophic result. But Caelia picked up what he started. She came with her own alpha strike, shredding the remaining armor of the APC and ripping the engine apart. A massive fireball engulfed the APC, cooking up half of the thugs that take cover behind it.

The fiery carnage finally discouraged the remaining thugs. They retreated to their trucks and drove away.

"Dropship command, bridge is secured," Trystan declared victory. "Mission accomplished. Returning to base."

"Negative, Aces. Hold position," Sergeant Lantham said unexpectedly.

"What? What for?" Trystan grimaced. "We beat back the incoming thugs! Mission is accomplished!"

"There are still some evacuation convoys underway. We need that bridge cleared until all evacuation convoys reach the landing zone."

"Hold position, Vandenberg! That's an order!" Chip tuned in.

"Sir, we…"

"Is there a problem with your comset, Vandenberg? Hold position!"

"For how long?"

"Until we relieve you!"

"We can't leave, Trystan," Caelia added. "As soon as we go, the thugs will come back and claim the bridge. All our good work will be for nothing."

"So we're stuck here for a long time?"

"Welcome to the front line, Bro," Caelia quipped. "Get yourself comfortable. We're in for the long haul."


	9. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

 **Review Corner :**

 **The Colonel 382** : Thank you for your interest. I'd greatly appreciate it if a big Battletech fan like you stop by and give me reviews once in a while.

* * *

 _ **Grand Port, Ingress,  
**_ _ **Duchy of Small, Chaos March,  
**_ _ **April 5, 3062**_

For 2 days Trystan and Celia stayed on guard at the bridge. The thugs didn't come back. Helicopters flew back and forth over the bridge, but no wheeled vehicles tried to cross the bridge from either direction. For a moment Trystan thought it was a good sign, until logistic started to become an issue. He wasn't prepared for a long mission, so he only had a flask of water inside his mech. Daytime was exceedingly hot inside the mech, so he drank more often during daylight. By the end of the second day, he had no more to drink.

Tired, dehydrated, and sleep deprived, Trystan started hallucinating. His mind brought him back to Dustball, recalling the incident at the Lyran firebase. He started questioning whether he did something wrong. Nothing happened out of that small episode. The mission was a success nonetheless. But for that small incident he was grounded and dispossessed. The entire conversation with Caelia regarding Chip Taylor's leadership exploded in his head. He started to believe that Chip wanted to get rid of him.

And the fact that he was stranded in a foreign city, without supplies, without clear objective, made him believe that Chip intentionally sent him there to die.

"How long is the evacuation, really?" Trystan hailed his sister from a private channel.

"Don't know," Caelia replied indifferently. "It should've been done by now."

"I told Chip the mission was over," Trystan groused. "We beat the thugs. They get the message, and they will not come back. But Chip had us stay here regardless. He didn't listen, and put us here for 2 days. Do you think he's still in Ingress?"

"What, you think he left us?" Caelia scoffed.

"We have no communication with the dropship for 2 days. No supply. No relieve. Nothing. We stand here like a couple of fools, guarding the bridge from ghosts. There is a good chance they actually have left Ingress."

"Mom won't let it happen," Caelia snorted.

"Chip said he ran the show in the field."

"True, but Mom owns Blazing Aces. If she's not happy with Chip, she'll fire him."

"Do you trust Chip, Caelia?" Trystan said under his breath.

It took Caelia a long time to answer. "I haven't made up my mind yet. I mean, he made questionable decisions. But Mom seemed to agree with him. Why are we talking about Chip, all of sudden?"

"I think he hates me," Trystan grimaced. "I think he knew somehow Mom expected me to lead the Blazing Aces. He might have his own agenda, or he wants the Blazing Aces all for himself. Look what he did to me. First he dispossessed me for doing trivial stuffs. Now he left us here doing nothing for 2 days, without rations or communication. I think he's looking for a way to get rid of me."

"First of all, I can agree with you on being dispossessed. Chip was a little overboard. But to leave you here because he wants you out of the team? You went too far, Trystan. Mom will not let leave without us. Also, our mechs cost 1.5 million cbills each. I don't think Chip would waste 3 million just to get rid of one rookie."

"Then what are we doing here? We are not doing anything. There are no hostiles here. This bridge is secure. Chip is wasting our time and our talent by making us staying idle. What are the others doing right now? I bet they are assisting the Ingress Legions, or escorting evacuation, or fighting the insurgence back. They are doing real work, stuffs that we are paid to do in the first place."

"Is that a fact?" Caelia puffed. "Did you get sitrep from dropship command? How come I didn't?"

Trystan leaned back in his couch, trying to get a grip of the reality. He admitted he let his imagination get the best of him. His rant might just be the byproduct of his dehydration and frustration, and his lack of preparation to do long mission. He was lucky he unload it on his sister. Caelia wouldn't say or do anything.

"I'm sorry, I may take this farther than it needs to be," he said, "but you can't deny Chip has his own agenda. You said it yourself. He doesn't like me. He wants to get rid of me at every chance he gets."

"I didn't say that," Caelia retorted. "I said Chip might be jealous of you."

"Why? Because I am supposed to succeed him to lead the Blazing Aces?"

"I don't know. I don't know if he's already come to that conclusion. And why do you think _you_ are going to lead the Blazing Aces? Between you and me, I am the better mechwarrior!"

"That you may be, but you're missing simulation times and briefings and stuffs that make you part of the team. You don't have the attitude to lead the Blazing Aces, Caelia."

"And you do? All you have done is bitching about your chief-in-command. You want to lead a mercenary unit with that attitude?"

"At least I care about my unit!" Trystan started to yell. His frustration had come to a breaking point. He had to channel it somewhere, and his sister was the only one around. "Leadership is very important in any military unit! You said it that Chip's decisions were questionable. We have to carry his questionable orders! Do you care about it? No! Do you care where Chip takes the Blazing Aces? No!"

"So what did you do about it besides badmouthing Chip at every possible turn?" Caelia responded just as nasty. "Nothing! You just come to me and cry about your sorry life! You don't even have the guts to bring this up to Mom! And for your record, Chip does not decide the direction of Blazing Aces! Mom does! You deliberately overlook Mom's leadership every time things don't agree with your way! It's always you, you, you, Trystan!"

Trystan was ready to take the heated argument to a higher level, but his communication LED blinked. He was being hailed, and it might be time to go home. Hoping to get water soon, Trystan eagerly established comlink only to find Chip at the other end.

"Twins, we have a target of opportunity," Chip said, much to Trystan dismay. "Ingress Legions received an anonymous tip that may turn the course of this conflict. One of the leaders of the insurgence is at the office building 3 clicks from your position. You are the only ones close enough and fast enough to perform a surgical strike. I will send you the coordinates. Move in, destroy the building, then return to base."

"How do we know we accomplish the mission, Sir?" Trystan said. "Do we have an ID on the target?"

"Negative. Bring down the building and kill everybody in the vicinity. No survivor. That's all there is to it. You have 5 minutes. If you can't locate the building in 5 minutes, abort mission and return to base."

"Yes, Sir! Consider it done!" Caelia chimed happily and quickly set his _Stinger_ to maximum speed.

"Caelia, wait!" Trystan switched back to private channel. "What if this is a trap? We don't have an ID on the target. How do we know he's real? What if the building is actually a hospital? What if Word of Blake is waiting for us?"

"I don't get you, Trystan," Caelia griped exasperatedly. "You couldn't wait to get out of here. Now that you can, you don't want to. What is it you want, then?"

"Don't you feel something not right? We don't have good intelligence, we don't know who tipped the Legions, we don't know who our target is, we don't know what kind of opposition…"

"We'll wing it."

"This is madness!"

"We have one job with limited intel, and I'm gonna do it. You can do it with me or you can sit at the bridge waiting for intel. It's up to you."

By Trystan's standard, going forward without proper intel was a suicide. Trystan knew history, and part of the Clan's failure at Tukayyid was their arrogance. They failed to see what kind of opposition waiting for them. Caelia's negligence was similar to the Clan's arrogance, and with Chip's ulterior motive still unresolved between them, he was terrified that this mission would end up in catastrophe.

But perhaps Caelia was right. _There are things you just have to let go and let fate decide_ , that was what she said the other day. Caelia might have taken it to the point of recklessness, but he had no choice. He wouldn't let his sister have herself killed.


	10. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

 _ **Grand Port, Ingress,  
**_ _ **Duchy of Small, Chaos March,  
**_ _ **April 5, 3062**_

The _Locust's_ feet hammered the pavement with rhythmical thrums but all Trystan could hear was his own heartbeat. He nervously switched his radar between active and passive mode, unsure of what mode was best for this mission. It wouldn't matter anyway since Caelia might have run her radar active all the time, and the enemy already knew of their presence. But he flicked his toggles back and forth as it calmed his nerve.

The night was quiet and the city seemed to be largely abandoned. Only a handful of armed thugs left on the street, and even though they took potshots at the _Locust_ and _Stinger_ , they didn't do any harm. Their bullets bounced off the mechs' armor, which up to this point was still pristine, save for a few pockmarks from the encounter with the thugs two days ago.

But it wasn't the missiles Trystan was worried about. Those thugs could have alerted their friends, including the target. They could've evacuated the building and set up an ambush. And even though Ingress Legions confirmed that no hostile battlemechs had been spotted, Trystan felt it was hard to believe. Whoever was behind this insurrection should be aware of the presence of the Blazing Aces by now. If he wanted to keep his control over Ingress, he had to come up with a battlemech solution.

Soon the Vandenberg twins arrived at the designated target. It was a short 5-story building with a large FedCom logo on the front wall. Multiple APCs and armed parked in a defensive formation to protect a command van. Activities on the ground was high, confirming Trystan's wariness that the thugs knew he was coming. As soon as the two battlemechs cleared the buildings, bullets and missiles leapt from every part of the building, creating a hailstorm that engulfed the _Locust_ and _Stinger_.

"Bring it down!" Caelia cried out as she fired off everything she had. "Trystan, bring it down!"

Bullets ricocheted all over the cockpit but Trystan ignored it. He fired his lasers at every window. His small lasers recycled quickly and he fired as soon as they were ready, giving little time for his mech to cool down. Heat spiked up to feverish pitch and soon he was gasping for air. Rivers of sweat streamed down his body. But he kept on firing, torching the windows one by one until half of the building was set ablaze, illuminating the dark neighborhood.

Driven out by the fire, the remaining thugs poured out to the street and tried to run toward their vehicles. Caelia blasted her machine guns at the mass. The trucks exploded in bright fireballs, burning the thugs in and around them. The command van tried to move, but the burning trucks blocked it. Caelia unloaded everything she had left at the command van. Her bullets went through the thin armor of the command van, killing everybody onboard. Her laser incinerated the LRM magazine. A massive explosion tore the command van apart.

Even after the command van evaporated, Trystan kept on firing. The fire weakened the building structure, and he placed some strategic salvoes on the base of the building. The building groaned and crumbled, kicking up dust and debris, and buried the surviving vehicles and armed thugs in the vicinity.

As smoke and dust filled the air, Trystan cleared the area and ran his long-range radar to scan for hostiles. Aside from conventional vehicles, there was nothing within 2 kilometer radius that he could consider as threats. He took a deep breath and slouched on his command couch, letting the air conditioner pump cold air into the steaming-hot cockpit. He popped up the hatch to let some hot air escape his mech.

Caelia's _Stinger_ appeared from the dust cloud and took a place next to Trystan's _Locust_.

"You good?" Caelia chimed over the comlink.

"Yeah," Trystan replied. "You?"

"Good," Caelia sighed. "All vehicles in the vicinity are destroyed. The building is history. All hostiles in the vicinity are dead. We can't confirm our kill. So that's it. We're going home."

"Sure," Trystan said. Just as he was about to throttle up, his radar bleeped. Two battlemech heat signatures came up on his radar. "Wait, we've got company…" He pressed the identification button and his heart jumped to his throat as the image of an _Assassin-30_ and _Cicada_ _3F_ leapt from his screen.

"Hostile mechs! _Assassin_ and _Cicada_!" he proclaimed. "Run, Caelia! Run!"

"I thought the Ingress Legions said there were no hostile mechs?" Caelia bemoaned. "Who are those?"

"No time for that now! Pump up your mech and run!"

Trystan's _Locust_ could outrun the hostiles, but at only 95 kph, Caelia's _Stinger_ would quickly fall into the hands of the _Assassin_ and the _Cicada_. The _Cicada_ _3F_ carried an ERPPC and the _Assassin-30_ had LB 5X and LRM5 that could chew up rear armor from long distance. And Trystan couldn't leave his sister behind. He had to stay with her, which made both of them vulnerable to the long-range firepower of the medium mechs.

"Dropship command, we have _Assassin_ and _Cicada_ on our tails!" Trystan yelled in panic. "We need cover fast!"

"You have what?" Chip's voice crackled. "Confirm visual contact, Trystan!"

"Visuals confirmed, Sir! Hostile _Assassin-30_ and _Cicada 3F_ version! They will get into their firing range soon! We need support immediately!"

"Make your best speed back to the bridge! Tim, Archie, suppressing fire for the Twins! I will hammer the Legions for overlooking hostile battlemechs!"

"Bridge, copied!" Trystan replied. His heart beat faster watching the _Assassin_ coming into 1 kilometer range, with the _Cicada_ following not too far behind. "Back to the bridge, Caelia!" he called his sister as he slowed down, letting his sister go in front of him.

"What are you doing?!" Caelia cried out as she realized that Trystan deliberately slowed down.

"Don't stop, dammit! Run!" Trystan barked, just as his proximity alarm screamed bloody murder. The _Assassin_ had a hard lock on him, and missiles raced in the air, charging his _Locust_ with murderous intention. Trystan slammed his foot on the pedal and made a hard left turn in front of a building. The missiles slammed into the building, inches away from his mech. The explosions staggered the _Locust_ but no damage was done.

"Trytan! Trystan!" Caelia called in panic.

"My mech is faster than yours! I'll draw fire! You go to the bridge!"

Caelia's reply was buried under heavy whizzing sound. The _Assassin_ cleared the building and fired off its LB-5X. Trystan bobbed and weaved between buildings under intense bombardment. His heartbeat drummed in his ears, interspersed with exploding shells left and right. The _Assassin_ fired its missiles again. Trystan yanked his joystick hard, bringing his _Locust_ to list far to the right. It cut a corner smoothly and the missiles razed the corner a mere milliseconds away.

Trystan saw the bridge and Caelia's _Stinger_ galloping up the ramp. She was in a very vulnerable position. The Assassin could easily get a hard lock and stab her from behind. He had to keep the _Assassin_ and _Cicada_ busy until Caelia cleared the bridge. So he turned right, away from the bridge, straight toward the _Cicada_.

The _Cicada_ eagerly fired its PPC but the rushed shot flew a few inches above Trystan's cockpit. Trystan kept his mech low as he crisscrossed his way between buildings, always putting a building or two between him and his assailants. The _Assassin_ and _Cicada_ had a hard time getting a lock on him. Cannon shells and PPC blasts exploded every which way, but none of them made any impact on the _Locust_.

Trystan looked for his sister and took a deep breath seeing her on the other side of the bridge. He connected all power to the myomer and ran as fast as he could. He climbed up the ramp of the bridge just as his radar blared. The _Assassin_ got a lock on him and fired its missiles. Trystan turned as far left as possible without dropping speed, and let his AMS picked up the missiles in the air. Three warheads exploded midair, one swooshed over his head, and one slammed right into his left torso. Trystan winced as his _Locust_ lurched. He tugged his joystick to compensate the impact, and resume his course to cross the bridge.

The _Assassin_ powered up its jumpjets but Tim and Archie had been waiting on the other end of the bridge. Dozens of missiles leapt into the air and gutted the _Assassin_ while it was still flying. The _Assassin_ crashed to the bridge, knocking out a large section of the gutter, then fell down to the street below. An explosion followed suit.

The _Cicada_ started to climb the ramp, but decided not to contest the power of the _Crusader_ and the _Thunderbolt_. It wisely turned around and disappeared into the city.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Trystan spoke breathlessly as he walked past the _Crusader_ and the _Thunderbolt_.

"No sweat kid," Tim's reply came in loud and clear. "Good work out there. Ingress Legions confirmed that the target had been eliminated. We should see some changes in the momentum, and we will be on the offensive pretty soon."

"Offensive?" Trystan squinted. "Without accurate intell, we can't go into the offensive yet! They got battlemechs out there! Who knows what other things they have!"

"It's not your concern," Archie tuned in. "Go back and get some rest. We'll take it from here."

Trystan wouldn't argue with that. He needed water, and he needed sleep. The offensive would have to wait.


	11. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

 **Review Corner** :

 **The Colonel 382** : All in good order. At this point Trystan and Caelia are only teenagers. Part of their characteristics are modeled after Sulley and Mike from _Monsters University_ (you know which one is which). Each campaign will make them wiser and more mature, and closer to their idols (*wink wink* you don't wanna miss that)

* * *

 _ **Grand Port, Ingress,  
**_ _ **Duchy of Small, Chaos March,  
**_ _ **April 6, 3062**_

Trystan didn't remember much after the end of the mission. He just parked his mech inside the dropship, drank what felt like two gallons of water, then went straight to his bunk. The sleep, however, was short-lived. Dawn barely broke when Humberto and Archie dragged him from his bed. The rest of the Blazing Aces had stood in circle. A holoprojector patched through a hologram of an old woman dressed in military fatigue.

"I am High Command Emily Bourles, commanding officer of the Ingress Legions," the woman said. "His Most Excellency Duke Blake Small was impressed by the way you, Blazing Aces mercenary, handle the conflict in Ingress. From this point on the Blazing Aces will be a part of Operation Ingress Redemption. I will personally take command of Blazing Aces and Ingress Legions in a joint effort to take back Ingress."

"This is Major Chip Taylor, commanding officer of the Blazing Aces. Your offer is duly appreciated, but unless you take better control of your intelligence agency, we are not joining your operation. Our mission parameter clearly said the opposition did not have battlemech forces. We encountered two medium-class battlemechs that nearly killed two of our operatives."

"There were no battlemech forces in Ingress by the time you accepted your contract."

"I do not take oversight lightly."

"Understood. We will compensate your trouble by 30 percent of the original contract value. And I will personally supervise what our intells send you. Is this acceptable?"

"Yes Ma'am," Chip nodded in satisfaction. "Carry on."

"The strike mission was a rousing success," Emily Bourles said. "The target you killed was Jamal Khaled, the XO of Zhanzheng de Guang terrorist group in Ingress theater. He orchestrated the attacks on Ingress Legions key positions and the pogrom that followed. His death will stop the carnage and put the armed insurgents in disarray. Ingress Legions front line troops had already reported the change of momentum. The insurgents are retreating."

Trystan traded smiles with Caelia.

"However the chief of the insurgents is still at large," the holoprojector switched to an image of a middle-aged man. "This is Salim Abdul Aziz, a long-time partisan of Zhanzheng de Guang. Two years ago he tried to blow up the city hall, but we managed to defuse the bomb. He went into hiding since, but we have suspected that he had been building his army and waiting for reinforcement from the terrorist group to incite revolt in Ingress.

"Six hours ago our intelligence intercepted signals of dropships from off world. We believe that the Zhanzheng de Guang is supplying battlemechs and weapons to Salim's force. If Salim can hold a sizeable battlemech force, Ingress will fall into his hand. It is imperative that we stop the Zhanzheng de Guang battlemech and weapon shipments before everything goes out of control.

"There is no sure-fire way to stop Zhanzheng de Guang but we believe that if we assassinate Salim, Zhanzheng de Guang will back off. So this is our next mission: kill Salim Abdul Aziz at all cost. Our intelligence agency is working to pinpoint Salim's location, and we should have a definite coordinate by this afternoon. There is a good possibility that Salim and his closest cronies have procured battlemechs. Therefore your contribution to this operation is very critical. The Ingress Legions cannot do this alone.

"I cannot stress the importance of this operation any further. If we fail, Ingress will succumb into total anarchy. Sergeant Vicky Latham will stay with you as a liaison officer. She can address your questions about the operation. We will be in contact with you shortly."

The holoprojector turned static and Sergeant Lantham walked to the center of the circle.

"The Ingress Legions is in maximum alert but as Emily Bourles mentioned we are waiting for our intells to get the location of Salim Abdul Aziz. You can get some rest in the meantime. But keep your eyes open. We may have to do a blitzkrieg, so be prepared for anything."

"I will instruct my technicians to get the battlemechs up and running," Chip concluded. "As for you mechwarriors, you can dismiss but stay vigilant. I want everybody to stay within half a click perimeter from your mechs. If you're late even one minute, I will cut your bounty for this campaign! Is everybody clear?"

"Yes Sir!" the Blazing Aces replied almost in unison.

As the mechwarriors dispersed, Trystan approached his sister with a little smirk on his face. "Did you hear what the Legions CO said? The thugs are retreating. Didn't it feel good, knowing that we are the reason behind this momentum shift? We did awesome out there, didn't we?"

"Indeed," Caelia replied with a wink. "So here we are, in the middle of Inner Sphere hot spots, facing off against Capellan's premier terrorist group."

"Zhanzheng de Guang, Word of Blake, they're all equally bad."

"Coming from a guy who didn't want to do a mission for fear of Word of Blake, I find it hard to believe."

"Well, I was not thinking clearly," Trystan sighed. "I was tired and dehydrated. I wasn't prepared for a long mission like that. I said some things that I regret. I'm sorry for yelling at you and looking down on your lifestyle. The fact is you are a good mechwarrior and a valuable member of the Blazing Aces."

"Pfft, you were mostly right anyway," Caelia replied nonchalantly, like her usual self. She clasped her hands behind her back as she walked toward the dropship. "I have not taken this business seriously. I need to mature if I am to lead the Blazing Aces."

"I'll be glad to have you as my second-in-command," Trystan quipped.

"Why don't _you_ be my second-in-command?" Caelia scoffed. "Between you and me, I'm the better mechwarrior!"

"That you are," Trystan said with a much milder tone. "Doesn't mean you're fit to lead the Blazing Aces."

"Is that right?" Caelia scoffed. "So what would you do if you have a young, neurotic subordinate who questions every decision you make and starts accusing you of having your own agenda?"

Trystan stopped to assess Caelia's comment. He knew she was just making fun of him but there was a solemn gravity in her joke. While he was critical of Caelia's "hippie" lifestyle, his paranoid way of thinking was just as toxic. His accusation of Chip's unreasonable decisions was never proven. In fact, it was Chip's decision to send him and his sister to kill Jamal Khaled that swung the course of war in their favor, and it was Chip's strategy that saved him and his sister from the counter attack from the Zhanzheng de Guang partisans.

"Alright, I admit it, I don't have it in me," he sighed. "Yet."

"Looks like water and proper sleep had returned your commons sense," Caelia replied jokingly, "and your modesty. But in all honesty, none of us do. We have a lot to learn. We need to learn from wise leaders across the Inner Sphere on how to wisely lead a mercenary unit."

"Which wise military leader do you like? Victor Steiner Davion? Aleksander Kerensky? Athanasius Focht?"

"I'm a fan of Kristoffer Hasek Davion of the 15th Avalon Hussars. Sometimes I consider leaving the Blazing Aces and join the Hussars."

"Oh yeah? I like Jason Youngblood myself. And also Sheila Arla Vlataa. But I don't want to leave the Blazing Aces. I want to bring it to the same level as the Crescent Hawks or the Snowbird SMCAT."

"That's a noble cause, Bro, but let's save it for later," Caelia patted her brother's arm. "We got our sleep interrupted, didn't we?"

"Yes we did," Trystan said as he climbed up the ramp of the dropship. But he quickly turned around and grabbed Caelia's arm. "Caelia, I know I have been critical of your… uhm, "extracurricular" activity with Linc. I'm not trying to tell you how you should live your life, but we are in the advent of a very important mission. Please, consider having a good rest and focusing on the mission ahead. We may depend on you. I may depend on you."

"Normally I will ask you to mind your own business, but I understand what you mean," Caelia unexpectedly nodded in gratitude. "I may look like a ditzy but I know priorities. Don't worry about me."

"I just said it because I love you, Sis."

"I know. I love you too, Trystan." She gave her brother a quick hug. "Sleep well."

"Have a good rest," Trystan smiled. "See you tonight."


	12. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

 **Review Corner** :

 **The Colonel 382** : I like the retcon of Kris. Sure, they can cross path. I did plan for the Blazing Aces to butt head with the Hansen Roughriders, so I think Kris of all people would love to contribute (if not take charge) to this confrontation.

* * *

 _ **Grand Port, Ingress,  
**_ _ **Duchy of Small, Chaos March,  
**_ _ **April 6, 3062**_

Trystan was fully rested when the intel report from Ingress Legions came: they had found Salim Abdul Aziz. The Legions had slowly occupied key positions at Grand Port to seal Salim and his cronies inside the city. The Blazing Aces were tasked to charge forward and attack Salim's position head on.

The problem was at least one lance of medium to heavy mechs had been spotted. The situation had progressively become worse with every passing day. The Blazing Aces landed on Ingress expecting no battlemech oppositions waited on the planet. Less than a week later they had to fight battlemech forces capable of wiping out half of their assets.

This situation made Trystan very uncomfortable, so he ventured out to find his sister to have a little pep talk to ease the tension. But Caelia was not in her quarter, and Trystan started to regret his decision to trust her. She told him she took this situation seriously, and he thought she had grown up. Apparently nothing changed. She was still a little scoundrel that regarded everything as a vacation.

Miffed, he rushed to Linc's quarter. The door wasn't locked, and he didn't even care to knock. He just opened the door and barged in, only to find Linc happily intertwined himself with a young woman, not his sister as he thought, but with Sergeant Vicky Lantham, the Ingress Legions liaison officer. It took a while for him to realize that he wasn't dreaming, and to believe what he saw.

The happy couple noticed Trystan standing like a complete idiot then quickly got disentangled. The sergeant collected her uniform and got dressed as if Trystan was not there. Linc put on his pants and stood right in front of Trystan.

"What is the matter with you?" he growled. "Do you like busting into other people's privacy?"

"No, no," Trystan stammered. His words evaporated at the tip of his tongue. "I thought… I thought…"

"She is your sister?"

"No," Trystan sighed, gaining composure. "But I wish she were."

"Yeah, well, things happen," Linc snorted as if his romp with the sergeant meant nothing. "Now get out!"

Trystan stormed out of Linc's quarter, breathing ruggedly. He never approved Caelia's relationship with Linc, but he wasn't sure he wanted them to end this way. He wished for them to break up, but now he regretted he ever wanted it to happen. He didn't know the nature of his sister's relationship for Linc, whether it was based on genuine affection or just pure lust, but either way he didn't want his sister to get hurt.

Just as he turned around the corner, he bumped into Caelia.

"What in the world?" she blurted. "What's with the rush?"

"Where have you been?" Trystan said, even though he didn't want to know the answer.

"Sleeping, like you told me to!"

"You were not in your quarter."

"That's because I'm up, silly! I checked on my mech. Where have _you_ been? Is everything OK?"

Trystan wanted to tell her everything, but he didn't want to ruin her concentration. Finally, after years of acting like a spoiled teenager, Caelia showed some signs of being a real mechwarrior. There were other pressing matters needing her attention. Linc's 'betrayal' would have to wait.

"Yes, everything is OK," Trystan said.

"You don't sound too confident," Caelia sensed something was bothering her brother. "What is going on?"

Just then general quarter was issued through the PA. Trystan trades looks with her sister, faking his best composure. "This is it, Caelia. Let's ace this mission like we did yesterday."

Caelia shot a dirty look at him but decided to let it go for the moment. She gave him a quick nod then ran toward her mech. Trystan quickly switched to his mechwarrior gear and climbed aboard his _Locust_. A loud hum reverberated in the cockpit as he touched the start button. The mech's stats came to life on his console.

"Blazing Aces, fall in!" Chip's voice thundered on his comset.

"Trystan Vandenberg, all system nominal," he replied amidst a flood of ripostes on the comlink.

"The Ingress Legions had closed all exits around the city," Sergeant Lantham stated. "The insurgents are trapped. Blazing Aces, your task is to destroy any enemy units you encounter. Give no quarters. I will lead you to the enemy's positions. Form up on me. Keep a tight formation."

The Warrior helicopter buzzed ahead of the landing pads and the Blazing Aces regrouped behind it. Trystan tried to focus and erase the grotesque image of Linc and the Ingress pilot from his mind, but all he could think of was how much heartache Caelia had to endure if she found out their betrayal. Before long he started to wish that somebody shot down the helicopter and destroyed Linc's battlemech in a fiery ammo explosion.

Before long they arrived at a long straight highway. A lance of mobile SRM launchers and a few anti-aircraft emplacements barricaded the road. The AA guns opened fire at the Warrior, forcing it to take evasive maneuver behind a building.

"Light lance, clear up the road block. Heavy lance, stand back," Chip said. "Save your guns for the real thing."

Trystan swung past his lance mates and fired his lasers at an SRM launcher. Four laser strands dug holes on its hull. It pivoted its turret in a vain attempt to track Trystan's movement, but before it could even came close to its firing arc, a set of missiles smashed onto its turret. The impact caused the launcher to reel. Caelia joined the fray with concentrated laser and bullets, ripping open the rear hull.

The SRM launcher fought back like a cornered beast, sending a stream of missiles to a wide area. Trystan easily parried the hasty shot. Two dozen warheads flew above his cockpit and raked a building behind him like a thousand firecrackers. The other SRM launchers tried to help its friends, aiming their massive turrets at the battlemechs. But Trystan had fought this scenario many times in the simulator. He knew how to manipulate slow-moving, thin-armored brutes like the SRM launchers. He positioned his _Locust_ in between two SRM launchers so none of them dared to open fire lest they hit the other launcher.

Humberto's _Javelin_ , Renee's _Wasp_ and Caelia's _Stinger_ continued to wreak havoc. Multiple laser beams and ballistics ravaged the hapless vehicle. One good missile salvo from the _Javelin_ torched the ammunitions bins, and the launcher engulfed in a bonfire.

By this time the AA guns switched target to pepper the mech with 50-caliber machine guns. Trystan winced as armor-piercing bullets pierced the armor on his main turret. He twisted and sent a barrage of lasers. All but 2 hit the heavy machine gun, sending the barrel flying. One more laser hit and the emplacement set ablaze.

Caelia and Renee positioned themselves in between SRM launchers, choking them from launching counterattack. Missiles hissed from the _Javelin_ 's torso, straight to the center of one SRM turret. The first 5 shredded the paper-thin armor, 5 more tore the internal structure, and 1 missile ignited the stacked warheads inside the tubes. The turret went off in a blinding flash.

Losing 2 lancemates, the remaining launchers regrouped to counter the threats. They moved to the opposite way, creating a wedge between themselves, out of each other's way. Hundreds of missiles leapt from their tubes, making a stream of light in the darkness. Caelia quickly jumped to safety but Renee was a second too slow. The ground went alive with flames as missiles defiled the _Wasp_ , stripping the armor and chopping down limbs like they were made from twigs. The light mech tumbled down.

"I'm hit! I'm hit!" Renee screamed as her mech writhed with its only remaining leg.

Trystan moved in to create diversion, but the remaining AA guns turned and strafed the downed _Wasp_ with murderous shots. Unable to defend itself, the _Wasp_ was forced to rely on its armor, but a few unlucky shots punched through the plexiglass. Tongues of fire blasted from the canopy, and the _Wasp_ slumped to the ground with black oily smoke billowing from the cockpit.

"Oh crap! We lost Renee! We lost Renee!" Caelia shrieked in panic.

" _Pinche cabrones!_ I want them dead! All of them _putos_!" Humberto yelled. His _Javelin_ went airborne and landed right on top of one AA emplacement. Caelia raised both arms and blasted a heavy machine gun with her own 50-caliber bullets. Ammo crates exploded in a brilliant fireball.

The SRM launchers locked on the _Javelin_ but Trystan unloaded his lasers on a launcher's track. Bulbous slag sprayed as the launcher careened to a screeching halt, kicking up dust and pebbles. Its turret still swung left and right to catch Trystan with its missiles. Luckily it was not a concentrated fire. The _Locust_ staggered hard as it withstood a couple good salvos, but the rest of the missiles went wide, hammering the buildings. Trystan overrode the shutdown sequence and fired everything he had at the stranded launcher. The hull caught fire, and the crews chose to abandon the tank for fearing of ammo explosion.

The remaining SRM launcher still fought valiantly, but its armor couldn't stand the firepower of 3 battlemechs. The concentrated fire of the _Locust_ , _Stinger_ , and _Javelin_ turned the vehicle into nothing more than a burning heap of scrap.

"Road block cleared," Humberto declared. "We lost Renee. _Wasp_ is salvageable."

"Good work," Chip replied. "Hold position, light lance. Heavy lance, regroup with Sergeant Lantham. Let's finish this strong!"

"Showtime, boys!" Archie's _Victor_ led the way. "Let the fireworks begin!"


	13. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

 **Author's Note** : This chapter is inspired by the _Battle of Gaugamela_ , October 1 331 BC.

 **Review Corner** :

 **Ulquiorra9000** : I could make revisions for the Director's Cut edition. Like I said the original story was written more than 10 years ago and while I had fixed a lot of things I sometimes left out things like that as a "keepsake". You'll see some more stuffs like that as you go along.

* * *

 _ **Grand Port, Ingress,  
**_ _ **Duchy of Small, Chaos March,  
**_ _ **April 6, 3062**_

The Blazing Aces heavy lance, led the by the indomitable _Victor_ , pushed forward and immediately came face to face with a demi-lance of 2 _Quickdraws_ , one _Blackjack-C_ , 2 _Vindicators_ and one _Cataphract_. They formed an inverted wedge with the _Cataphract_ took the center point.

"Target confirmed: Salim Abdul Aziz is in the _Cataphract!_ " Sergeant Lantham reported. "All units, destroy the _Cataphract_!"

"YYEEEEHHHAAAAA!" Blitzie dashed forward and fired his Gauss rifle at the _Cataphract_ , but one of the _Quickdraws_ moved in front of him and took the shot. Its armor blasted open as the nickel-ferrous shell smashed its right torso. The _Quickdraw_ lost balance and dropped to one knee. Blitzie raised both hands and fired all weapons at the hapless _Quickdraw_. Two laser beams connected to the torso, followed by five missiles to the arm. The laser-laden arm went spinning in the air, and the 60-ton mech reeled.

The other _Quickdraw_ and the _Vindicators_ quickly ganged up on the _Victor_. Multiple lasers and missiles swarmed the assault mech, stripping armor layer after layer until the torso was nearly bare. Two particle bolts snapped at its left torso. The _Victor_ set afire, and Blitzie's cry for help came in only minutes after his initial battlecry.

Tim and Archie launched 35 missiles at the other _Quickdraw_ , missing only 3. The huge momentum of impact jerked the _Quickdraw_. Each explosion took off a layer of armor. The _Quickdraw_ 's front armor was almost stripped clean, leaving just the myomer and internal structure. Archie followed suit with all lasers. The mediums hit the torso, eat up the last remaining armor. The _Quickdraw_ returned fire with 4 medium lasers, striking the arm of the _Crusader_. The arm was blown off, and Tim's long string of curses flooded the comlink. Archie came to his friend's rescue with his large laser, and the _Quickdraw_ engulfed in a blaze.

The _Blackjack-C_ came forward to unleash its twin LBX10 cannons on the damaged _Victor_ but Linc hammered the _Blackjack's_ side with his own cluster shells, forcing the omnimech to abandon its original target. As the _Blackjack_ pivoted to bring its twin shotguns to bear, Linc fired his missiles at point blank range. The omnimech jerked forward. Linc stabbed the Blackjack's leg with his lasers. The well-placed salvo ate up the leg armor, threatening to burn the myomer bundles underneath.

Linc's _Centurion_ swiveled to inflict more actuator damage with his LBX but the _Blackjack_ managed to get a hard lock on him. The twin LBX10 cannons barked, and the _Centurion_ lost balance. It staggered back and forth and flailed its arms wildly, trying to compensate the enormous blasts of the twin LBX cannons. His forward armor was blown to bits, leaving only the sheet-metal chassis that wouldn't hold even a 50-caliber gun.

"It's getting hot in here!" Linc said as he desperately steadied up his mech.

"We can make a difference!" Caelia said with a glint of anxiety in her voice. "Come on! What are we waiting for?"

"Hold position, Vandenberg!" Chip replied, half yelling. "The heavy lance will stand!"

For once Trystan was glad Chip didn't send them to help the heavy lance. Blitzie's _Victor_ slowly came back to its fighting stance, and the rich gung-ho should have no problem finishing up one _Quickdraw_. The other _Quickdraw_ was left a towering inferno. Tim and Archie were locked in a battle with 2 _Vindicators_. And the _Cataphract_ hadn't even fired a single salvo since the battle commenced. It just stood idly out of bound.

That left Linc trading LBX blows with the _Blackjack_. The _Centurion_ won the early rounds, but with 2 cannons the _Blackjack_ started to gain ground. With each blows the _Centurion's_ armor flew like snowflakes, and it came to a point where sparks and smoke started to burst. Trystan watched every critical hit with growing anticipation, not exactly sure what to expect. Wishing for Linc's fiery demise was too far, even as he still begrudged over what Linc did to Caelia. But Trystan couldn't help it. He wished for Linc to get a terrible beating for his betrayal.

Alas, his hope didn't materialize. A squadron of Ingress Legions' Warrior H-8 helicopters arrived and rained down missiles on the rebel mechs. It lifted the pressure off the Blazing Aces for a quick moment, and even though the insurgents managed to wipe out the helicopters, the Blazing Aces had enough time to regroup. Blitzie launched an alpha strike that destroyed the _Quickdraw_. Tim and Archie scored critical hits that severely hurt the _Vindicators_. And Linc regained the upper hand, hitting the _Blackjack_ from every angle.

Facing inevitable defeat, the _Cataphract_ decided to turn around and left the battlefield. A Capellan variant, it kicked its MASC to reach 86 kph and ran straight into a vibro-mine field, laid out by the Ingress Legions. Two mines chewed up the armor and myomer bundles on the _Cataphract's_ leg. It reeled down, triggering two more vibro-mines, stripping more armor of the leg. But the _Cataphract_ still stood and kept it course, although with a bad limp.

"All units, Salim is breaking off!" Sergeant Lantham cried out. "Stop him!"

"Linc! Disengage your enemy and chase down the _Cataphract_!" Chip yelled.

"Like hell I'm doing that!" Linc unexpectedly snubbed the order.

"Dammit Linc, do it!"

"No way, Boss-man! My mech is shot! I'm not wasting my life on some Chaos March lowlife!"

"Blitzie! Hunt it down!"

"I would, Chief, but my mech is not fast enough!"

"Coward sonsofbitches!" Chip growled in exasperation. "Humberto! Kill the _Cataphract_!"

" _Cabrones cobardes! Todo el tiempo con su trompa de pato!"_ Humberto grumbled as he throttled up. "Trystan! Caelia! Move up! Sargento Lantham, we're chasing down the Cataphract! Need a safe passage out of the vibro-mine barricade!"

"Copy that, follow me!" the Warrior H-7 swerved past the battlefield to lead the light lance.

Even when outnumbered 3 to 1, the _Cataphract_ had enough firepower to seriously hurt the light lance. Maybe Salim lost his nerves watching the Blazing Aces tearing his defense apart, but against a light lance he might regain his courage. Trystan gunned his engine, propelling his _Locust_ to maximum speed. The _Cataphract_ noticed the _Locust_ and tried to get away with its MASC, but Trystan still outran it by 40 kph.

Within a few minutes the _Cataphract_ reached an open field where a _Leopard_ -class dropship was unloading an _Orion_ , a _Thunderbolt_ , a _Griffin_ , and a _Phoenix Hawk_. It tried to make it to the dropship, but soon realized that the _Locust_ would cut it off before it reached the dropship. The _Cataphract_ turned around and blasted its PPC. The azure particle bolt snapped the building right next to the _Locust_. Debris as big as basketballs pelted the _Locust_ , but dealing no damage. Trystan kept his mech low, taking advantage of the _Locust's_ thin profile. The _Cataphract_ blasted its LBX shotgun, sending hundreds of submunitions to in a wide angle. Some caught the _Locust_ on the left torso, punching through armor and digging deep to the internal structure. Warning sign blared.

"The _Cataphract_ 's actuator is damaged," Humberto said. "Concentrate fire on the leg!"

The _Cataphract_ fired its pulse laser in a desperate attempt to slow down the _Locust_ , but Trystan made a sharp turn, taking cover behind a couple building. The _Javelin_ and the _Stinger_ caught up with the _Cataphract_ and fired off a barrage of missiles, laser, and bullets at the _Cataphract's_ legs. Already damaged by the vibro-mines, the legs snapped at the knees, first the right, then the left. The _Cataphract_ wildly twisted and turn to catch one mech with its big guns, but Trystan came out from behind the building and singed the _Cataphract_ left leg. Tongues of fire burst from the joint, and the _Cataphract_ dropped to its remaining knee.

"Got him!" Caelia shouted in pure delight. She closed in and raised her arms, ready to blast the cockpit of the _Cataphract_. But before she could do anything, the Warrior H-7 swooped in and barked its autocannon. A long tracer of light lit up the _Cataphract's_ cockpit. As if it wasn't enough, the helicopter fired a missile salvo, turning the cockpit into a blazing crater. The _Cataphract_ trembled with every shot, then hunkered down and crashed.

"All units, target is eliminated!" Sergeant Lantham proclaimed. "We have killed Salim Abdul Aziz!"

Trystan took a deep breath but instantly realized that a heavy lance was waiting for them, ready to avenge the fall of their leader. He gripped his joystick hard, ready to haul ass, when the unexpected happened. The Leopard dropship took off, leaving the four battlemechs on the ground. And the battlemechs made no attempt to strike back at the Blazing Aces. They just stood idle while some trucks and transports evacuated the area.

"Sir?" Trystan hailed Humberto. "Should we run?"

"Wait wait wait," Humberto replied. He brought his mech slowly toward the heavy lance, and they didn't do anything.

"What does this mean?" Caelia tuned in. "Are they surrendering?"

"I don't care what they are doing, _Chiquita_ ," Humberto replied in utter joy. "We've got ourselves brand new battlemechs!"


	14. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

 **Review Corner :**

 **Ulquiorra9000:** The thing about terrorists is they are like weeds. You cut them off today, then in a few days they rise again, twice as much and three times as nasty.

* * *

 _ **Grand Port, Ingress  
**_ _ **April 7, 3062**_

The newly acquired battlemechs immediately created tension among parties who lusted for the power the battlemechs could bring.

First Emily Bourles arrived and attempted to acquire the mechs from the Blazing Aces. "The battlemechs are procured at Grand Port, currently controlled by the Ingress Legions. Thus the Legions are the lawful owners of the battlemechs."

"Ingress Legions were evacuating the city by the time Blazing Aces acquired the battlemechs," Chip replied. "All spoils of war we acquired during which the Ingress Legions was not in control of the city belong to us, the Blazing Aces."

"The Blazing Aces work for Ingress Legions," Emily's voice raised up several pitches. "You are working under my leadership when you acquired the mechs. We never signed salvage rights agreement."

"We got into our current position because of Blazing Aces contribution. You will never regain lost ground if it weren't for the Blazing Aces. Jamal Khaled and Salim Abdul Aziz would've still been alive and harassing your squads if it weren't for us. You had lost Ingress. We put you back in control."

"You will never kill Khaled and Aziz without the information from the Ingress Legions!"

"Right on that account. But it wouldn't stop us from beating the insurgents. We have everything to win this conflict. We have battlemechs. We have mechwarriors of skill and loyalty, with proper strategy to win"

"You killed Khaled and Aziz executing my strategy."

"Right again. But without your strategy, we will beat them anyway. You can find other ways to go around the problem, but the fact remains the same. You win because of the Blazing Aces. The spoils of war belong to us."

"You will not take them away! Those battlemechs belong to the Ingress Legions! I expect them to be delivered within 6 hours, or your compensation will be suspended!"

"Why do you want battlemechs, Commander?" Chip sneered. "Nobody in your squad has battlemech qualifications. Your squad's doctrine of warfare does not include battlemechs. What do you want them in the first place?"

"Are you so arrogantly dull that you don't think natives of Ingress can master battlemechs, Major?" Emily grimaced. "Ducal Militia has enough battlemech resources to bump Ingress planetary defense to battlemech strength!"

"Or is it your career you're trying to salvage?" Chip shot a curt smile. "You have lost Ingress. Your infantry squad had been shredded to bits. If you get out of this conflict alive, you're looking at a desk job, operating coffee machine as days go by. The only way to keep you in the field is to give yourself a decisive victory - 4 brand new battlemechs you stole from the insurgents!"

"You watch your back, mercenary!" Emily growled. Her body trembled from the wrath. "You are nothing but a man without allegiance! You fight for no cause! You are the worst of your kind! Return the battlemechs to the Ingress Legions or I will make sure you will never get a contract again!"

"And how exactly are you going to accomplish that? Write a bad review?" Chip chuckled. "MRBC had a copy of our signed contract. If it knows you are trying to rob the Blazing Aces, it will blacklist you as a potential customer. Next time Zhanzheng de Guang makes attempt at Ingress again, nobody will come to your aid. And we both know Zhanzheng de Guang is not about to give up Ingress!"

"If it were up to me, I would've terminated your contract!" Emily grimaced. "You may think you are the hero of Ingress, but in the end you are just an outsourced contractor. The MRBC would receive my report in a few weeks, and do not expect it to be satisfactory!"

"Then I'd better finish my job before you pull our plug," Chip replied derisively. "Nice doing business with you."

Trystan heard the conversation, and although he had acrimonious relationship with Chip, he was with his CO in this one. There had never been an agreement about the spoils of war, but the Blazing Aces acquired those battlemechs fair and square. They found them, they fought for them, and they seized them without help from the Ingress Legions. And Chip was right. Ingress Legions was on the advent of an exodus when it happened. Grand Port was technically controlled by the insurgents, with Zhanzheng de Guang backing them up. The Legions had no right to claim Grand Port as their base.

"Looks like we won't have sympathy for the job well done," Chip grumbled as he briefed the Blazing Aces. "Emily Bourles is not happy with us taking the battlemechs, and I have a feeling she will try to discredit us in front of MRBC. I want you all to work double shifts. We need to drive these Liao savages to extinction, so we have proof that we do our job above and beyond, in case Emily Bourles stabs us from the back."

"Ungrateful rednecks!" Linc scoffed in disgust. "If she thinks she can rob us blind, she must've been stoned! Those mechs are ours! So what do you say, Boss? I'll get the _Griffin_!"

"You get nothing, you coward sonofabitch!" Chip suddenly launched a firestorm at Linc. "You think I would award you for disobeying my order?"

"What? Are you serious?" Linc was taken aback by Chip's sudden tirade. "My mech had reached combat loss grouping! Your order would've killed me!"

"My order is to be carried without questions! I do not care how critical your mech is; when I say engage, you engage! You are not paid to think! You are paid to do what I say!"

"I am not wasting my life for some stupid war in the middle of nowhere!" Linc hissed. His fists curled into balls, ready to be the speartips of his wrath. "I am paid for my talent! If you want me to bring my talent for the team, give me a new mech!"

"The technicians will repair your mech!" Chip snarled. "In the meantime just hang out in the kitchen while the rest get busy chasing down terrorists all around the city! You can make sure your _talent_ is not wasted for some stupid war!"

"How about me, Chief?" Blitzie tuned in, "I wasn't being coward, but my mech had no legs to chase down the _Cataphract_. I need a faster mechs..."

"You have enough money to buy any mech you want!" Chip sneered in response. "You're not getting any of these!"

"Then who get these ones?" Blitzie moaned.

"I'm taking the _Orion_ ," Chip grimaced. "We're down one member, so I will take command of the Blazing Aces from the field. The other mechs go to Humberto's team. A job well done deserves handsome rewards."

" _Se lo agradezco, Jefe_!" Humberto burst into euphoria. "I take the _Phoenix Hawk_! It is fast, powerful, and better armed than my old _Javelin_! I always want one of these! _Sueno hecho realidad!_ "

"I'm taking the _Griffin_!" Caelia quickly chimed.

"What? No! I'm taking the _Griffin_!" Trystan sulked. "I'm a sniper, you are a brawler! Why don't you pick a mech that fits your fighting style, so I get a mech that fits mine!"

"We do! I'm fast, you're slow! The _Griffin_ is fast, the _Thunderbolt_ is slow just like you! Ha ha!" Caelia shook her hips in front of Trystan in a mock victory dance.

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Trystan whined in frustration. "Come on, Caelia! This is not kindergarten! Get the _Thunderbolt!_ It's a better mech for you than the _Griffin!_ "

"Uhhmmmm… No!" Caelia grinned from ear to ear. "Why would you want a mech with an offset cockpit? You'd be miserable in there!"

"You are unbelievable!" Trystan shook his head. "A real class act!"

"Well I said it first so it's mine! If you don't like yours, you can keep the _Locust_ … or my _Stinger_ … or Humberto's _Javelin_ …"

Trystan threw his hands in the air, begrudgingly accepting the fact that he got a mech he didn't like. A _Thunderbolt_ was an antithesis of his piloting skill. It was a heavyweight brawler, with armor thicker than that of a _Zeus_ ' and weapon configuration that focused on medium to short range shootout. It was slow, topping 'only' at 65 kph. And to top it all, its appearance mirrored that of a _Blemmyes'_ , a hideous mythical creature from Nubian folklore. He couldn't imagine himself sitting in the offset cockpit of such a foul machine.

But he didn't see any escape from his ordeal. He was too slow to claim his prize, and he had only himself to blame.

"It's a wonderful machine, Trystan," Archie said, trying to console the young mechwarrior. "I've been driving one for years and I won't have it any other way. I will teach you how to extract maximum potential of your new mech."

"Thanks… I guess," Trystan sighed. He knew Archie loved his _Thunderbolt_ , and had great success with it as a front-line combatant. But that was not what he wanted. He wanted to be a fire support specialist, taking down enemies from beyond their visual range.

"Then everybody's settled," Chip Taylor said. "Dismissed! Watch schedule coming up soon!"


	15. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

 **Review Corner** :

 **The Colonel 382** : That would be awesome, but I think this stage is too small for the "15". Rather than force it to fight Liao's terrorists, I'll just wait until the Blazing Aces join the FedCom Civil War (where the Hansen's Roughriders already fight on Katrina's side).

* * *

 _ **Grand Port, Ingress  
**_ _ **April 30, 3062**_

Three weeks had passed to get used to the new battlemechs. Humberto and Caelia were in jubilation. Upgrading from light mechs to hard-hitting mediums with respectable speed put the two of them in euphoric mood. In Humberto's case, the _Phoenix Hawk_ happened to be the -3S variant with MASC, allowing him to run 130 kph in short bursts. Caelia's _Griffin_ , while not as fast as her old _Stinger_ , carried one ER PPC and two SRM6 with ECM Suite for electronic warfare. She gladly switched role as the team's fire support.

Trystan, on the other hand, hadn't gone past the grudging dislike of his new _Thunderbolt_. It didn't help that it was actually a rare FedSun variant with Large Pulse laser in place of typical large laser on its right arm, and 6-barreled UAC5 in place of the drum-like missile launcher on its left torso. It felt sluggish, as if he moved in slow motion. The offset cockpit gave him headache at times. And he tried not to look at the mech's reflection on buildings or its shadow on the ground. They were just repugnant.

The only consolation he had was that the class-5 ultra-autocannon had range almost as far as the long-range missiles, with better accuracy. He could still snipe 'something' at 600 meters. But with the low damage points of the UAC5, there was not a lot he could do with it, other than striking lightly-armored targets.

"You have to change your fighting style," Archie said as he led his own _Thunderbolt_ through the streets of Grand Port. "The _Thunderbolt_ is made to brawl. You don't run or use obstacles to cover yourself in a fight like some sissy in a light mech. You look at your enemy in the eyes while you stab his mech with your lasers."

"You think I was a sissy in a light mech?" Trystan muttered, feeling offended by Archie's remark.

"That's not the point," Archie ignored Trystan's comment. "You carry 13-and-half tons of armor on your T-bolt. _Zeus_ only has eleven. _Awesome_ has 15 but it's slow as a snail and overheats like a woman in menopause. Used properly, you can eat a _Zeus_ or an _Awesome_ for breakfast with your _Thunderbolt_. And don't get me started on the _Charger_. That abomination can only stand 3 minutes – max - against a _Thunderbolt_ with a mediocre pilot."

Trystan was not impressed. He had been following Archie in a patrol run through the streets of Grand Port, and he couldn't wait to get out of his mech. It was wide, slow, and sluggish, and most of the time he couldn't negotiate a tight corner between 2 buildings without having to pivot back and forth. In a crowded city like this, where space was limited, his _Thunderbolt_ would've been an easy prey for more agile mechs, or even tanks.

"How do you fight in a tight space like this?" Trystan blurted as he struggled to keep up with Archie.

"Ahh, excellent but naïve question," Archie chuckled through the comlink. "You have to reset your mind. You are not piloting a _Locust_ anymore. The turning radius is the key. Obviously the _Thunderbolt_ is slower and has larger turning radius, but that doesn't mean it can't turn as tight as a _Locust_. Study the manual book. Learn the maximum turning speed and radius of of _Thunderbolt_. Here, you see that small opening on the right? Let's turn over there. Watch me!"

Running a hundred meters in front of him, Archie slowed down to a mere 20 kph and went as far left as the space allowed without grazing the building. Then he banked right really hard while kicking his mech up to a jog. The _Thunderbolt_ gracefully ran in an arc and swished into the tight alley without hitting anything. The entire sequence took 9 seconds, only 2 seconds longer than Trystan could've done it in his old _Locust_.

"Well I'll be damned," Trystan couldn't hide his amazement.

"As I said, know your battlemech," Archie backed up from the alley and faced Trystan. "I know you covet your sister's _Griffin_ , but that _Griffin_ is made for long-range engagement. In a limited space like this, its PPC is useless. The twin SRM6 are limited on ammunition. Your _Thunderbolt_ , used properly, can stand long fights in almost any situation, at any range. It is one of the best in-fighters the Great Houses ever conceived."

Trystan still wished he had a different mech to pilot, but Archie's little demonstration showed him that it was not as bad as he prejudicially thought. Sure, Archie totally worshipped his _Thunderbolt_ , and Trystan didn't want to be a _Thunderbolt_ -junkie like him, but he knew how to make the best out of his T-bolt. His battlefield record was enough proof that a T-bolt could be as nasty as some light assault battlemechs.

The conversation was cut short when some ground activities lit up the radar console.

"Archie, I'm picking up unknown movements bearing three-two-niners 850 meters," Trystan said. "Looks like armored vehicles."

"Dropship Command, this is Task Force 33A. We spotted some movements at Grid N-24," Archie reported. "Any Ingress Legions operations in progress?"

"Negative," Chip responded. "Task Force 33A, check it out!"

Trystan cranked up his mech and follow Archie on the broad streets. Coming to a large open area, he spotted multiple tanks and APC's going toward the general direction of the landing site where the Blazing Aces' and Ingress Legions' dropships landed. The convoy was not strong enough to overrun the dropship's defenders but nobody knew what its true intention was.

"Unidentified convoy, halt and identify yourselves," Archie moved to block the convoy.

The convoy disregarded Archie's inquiry and started firing. One Bandit fired off and missed, setting major fire in an apartment building complex behind the _Thunderbolt_. Archie twisted his torso and countered fire with his lasers. The first two blasts missed their mark but the third hit the Bandit on the left side. The impact causes the hover tanks to change course 20 degrees to the right, ramming a hydrant. It quickly regained control and sent PPC streams towards the _Thunderbolt_. Archie ducked hard to evade the bolt.

Trystan twisted and sprayed Vedette on his right with autocannon rounds. The tank broke left to evade, but two shells burst into fragments and pierce the canopy glass, killing the driver instantly. The tank lost control and spun around, hitting several parked vehicles on the street.

Trystan marched forward to disrupt the convoy but anonether Bandit scored a well-placed PPC on its leg. The impact sheared armor but the _Thunderbolt_ escaped without critical damage. Trystan turned around and fired his entire laser. Three laser bolts turned the Bandit armor into molten shrapnel. The hovertank retaliated by a steady stream of PPC. The azure particle bolt struck the mech's torso. It staggered heavily, trying to regain balance. Trystan's console erupted. The tank maneuvered to get a good position for the kill, but Trystan sprayed the pesky hovertank with his UAC5. The armor-piercing shells cut through the engine casing, taking away the mechanism beneath it. The Bandit exploded in a huge flame.

Trystan could barely take a breath when three more Bandit tanks boxed him, spraying his mech with PPCs. Bolts after bolts shredded his armor and destroyed his electronics. His heat tracker was two-third way up. Sweat streamed down his cheek. He fired off his pulse laser to keep the tanks away from him, but it only made the cockpit hotter. His bolts struck a Bandit in the turret. The molten armor hissed and dripped right into the gyro, jamming the turret. Trystan overrode shutdown sequence by firing two more rounds of lasers, connecting to the hovering mechanism. The tank set on fire.

The remaining tanks mercilessly pound the Thunderbolt with blue energy bolts. One connected to the left torso, one hit its leg. The _Thunderbolt_ staggered, but managed to keep standing. Trystan didn't know how much armor he had left since his console was dead fried, but he was thoroughly impressed by the _Thunderbolt_ 's ability to weather PPC storm. He fired off his weapons at the closest Bandit. Two lasers burnt armor on the Bandit's turret. The autocannon shells tore the turret apart, sending PPC cannon flying some 30 meters.

The last Bandit struck the _Thunderbolt's_ leg, burning several myomer bundles. Trystan winced; the smell of burning myomer made his stomach churned. He dumped half of his coolant for a quick cool-down, then unleashed an alpha strike. The Bandit staggered heavily. The body tilts up then crashes down to the ground. Chunks of soils and armor whizzed everywhere when it rolled on the ground, finally stopping but amazingly didn't explode. A few crewmembers climbed out of the wreck and disappeared behind the nearby building.

Gasping, Trystan inspected the situation. Archie was engaging a few other tanks. His _Thunderbolt_ was heavily damaged, his left arm dangled by just mere strands of myomers, but he fought like a wounded beast. Half a dozen tanks were burning and crackling all around him, and a couple more were still fighting although they wouldn't last long. Strangely, the APC's continued their course as if nothing happened.

"Archie, the APC's are getting away!" Trystan said. As his electronics were fried, he used his personal comset. "Archie! The APC's are escaping! What do I do?"

"Smoke them!" Archie replied. "Don't take a chance! Kill them all!"

Trystan took a good aim and fired his UAC5. One APC burst into flames and rolled aimlessly until it crashed into a tall building. The other one quickly turned into a small alley before Trystan could take aim. Then something unimaginable happened. The burning APC erupted, in the biggest fireball Trytan had ever seen, and took down the tall building. The adjacent buildings wobbled and crumbled under the intense explosion. The explosion was so great the shockwave almost swept the _Thunderbolt_ off its feet.

"Holy shit…" Archie cried out. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know," Trystan blurted. "I hit one APC and it exploded just like that!"

"That doesn't make any sense! It's just an APC! That explosion was bigger than a mech's critical…" and suddenly Archie realized what was going on. "This is the way to the dropship landing site, is it not?"

"Oh no…" Trystan said breathlessly. "They're going after the dropships!"

"Dropship Command, this is Task Force 33A!" Archie quickly called headquarters. "The terrorists are using new weapons! Do not, I repeat, DO NOT let any vehicle come close to the dropships! We've got suicide bombers at large!"


	16. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

 **Review Corner**

" **Guest** ": Let's consider this scenario, you can choose between a wrecked Shelby GT500 and a brand new Honda Civic. Which one would you choose? The GT500 is a great car but it's wrecked. It needs time and money to get fixed, and even when you fix it, it may not run perfect. The Civic, as boring as it is, is fully functional. The same with the _Cataphract_ and the _Thunderbolt_. The _Cataphract_ might be a better choice for Trystan but it's wrecked. The _Thunderbolt_ is not his first choice but is fully functional. It's only logical to go with the _Thunderbolt_.

 **Ulquiorra9000** : exactly like Mariah Carey said: _Love Takes Time._

* * *

 _ **Grand Port, Ingress  
**_ _ **May 16, 3062**_

The insurgent's new strategy put everybody on full alert. For days the insurgents tried to break through the Blazing Aces defense using fast vehicles and APCs while their tanks took potshots at the mechs and Ingress Legions defenders. This tactic was only marginally successful at first but as they kept pressuring the Blazing Aces, the mechwarriors started to get weary and low on ammunition.

"Let the dropships deal with the tanks and launchers!" Chip tweaked the strategy to conserve ammo. "Focus on the APCs and armored vehicles! I don't want them within 500 meter radius from the dropships!"

Trystan moved his _Thunderbolt_ a couple dozen meters forward, setting up a larger perimeter defense for the dropship. He was soaked in sweat. The cooling vest barely worked anymore after two days of constant abuse. The temperature inside the cockpit was blazing hot from continuous firing, intensified by the sun. But there was no other choice. His UAC drum was almost empty, and he needed it to hit the suicide bombers before they came too close. He had to rely on his lasers to fight off the pesky tanks.

His console screamed aloud, and a wall of missiles raced toward him. With the dropship behind him, Trystan didn't have much room to maneuver. He twisted left, exposing his largely-intact armor on his right torso, and braced for impact. The missiles flogged his mech like a tidal wave. Each hit turned into a blistering explosion. Trystan grimaced in pain but even the sound of his gnashing teeth was buried under the cascaded explosions. His armor tracker of his right torso dropped down to blinking red.

"Watch this!" Caelia's voice sorted through the hellish blasts. Her _Griffin_ moved in line with the _Thunderbolt._ A long azure bolt leapt from its right arm, dashing through the vast landing pads, and stabbed an LRM launcher who had been sniping Trystan from behind a building. A blue orb rose, followed a second later by a massive fireball. The explosion razed the entire window glasses of the building.

"Good shot, Sis!" Trystan smiled.

"Good defense, Bro!" Caelia came back with equal charm. "I can't believe you took that shot! You OK in there?"

"I'm getting low on armor but I can still fight," Trystan said as he inspected his mech. His front armor had been shredded to bits. For several days his _Thunderbolt_ had endured strafes, snipes, and pot shots from multiple directions. But at 13-and-half tons, the armor provided considerable protection, boosting Trystan's confidence to a height he never knew existed. Although the mech took heavy pounding, all systems still worked fine.

"Incoming!" Caelia reported. Two Patton tanks and two Thumper mobile artillery units worked as a screen for a heavy APC. The Pattons and the Thumpers started bombarding the mechs while the APC kept a safe distance, ready to make a dash toward the dropship.

"Move away! Move away!" Trystan yelled as he made a quick dash to the right, dodging enemy's fire. The Thumper's shells hammered the ground where he stood a second ago. Debris rose in a mushroom-like cloud. The missiles sailed past the _Thunderbolt_ and battered the dropship behind it. Fireballs blossomed at the moment of impact, but they soon diminished without effect.

Trystan steadied up his mech and fired his ultra-autocannon at the APC. The successive explosions ripped its armor. The Pattons bombards his position with missiles, forcing him to keep his head down. A few missiles chewed up his leg armor. Armor indicator went blood red in his console. Trystan stepped back, aiming at the APC and fired his last string of ammunition. The impact sent the APC reeling. Trystan raised his right arm, but Caelia's PPC singed the APC. A blinding explosion threw the Pattons and the Thumpers off course as Caelia's marksmanship torched the explosives inside the APC.

The tanks regrouped but they had fallen into the dropship's firing range. PPC bolts and missiles rained down on the tanks, chopping up metal hull like a meat grinder. The Pattons zigzagged but the particle bolts ripped their hulls open. One Patton quickly engulfed in a fireball, the other one followed a few seconds later.

"I'm out of ammo!" Trystan muttered as he fired his pulse laser at one Thumper. "I don't have long range weapon left."

"Leave it to me," Caelia replied as she blasted the other Thumper. "Go repair and reload. I'll hold this front."

"You sure? Armor still good?"

"I'm pretty low, but I'll make it up with my PPC. Go. When you're done we'll trade place."

"Alright." Trystan switched to general frequency. "Dropship Command, permission to reload."

"Stand by," the dropship crew stated. "We've got incoming message from Ingress Legions. Patching through."

"Blazing Aces, this is Sergeant Lantham. A platoon of Ingress Legions is cut off and besieged by insurgents. It is holding on but not for long. Send your best squad to assist."

"Negative Legions, we don't have enough resource," Chip replied. "All mechs are tied up to defend our dropships."

"I have no visual contact with the insurgents within 5 kilometer radius," Sergeant Lantham stated. "Ingress Legions will authorize 200-thousand bonus if you can bring the besieged platoon back alive!"

"I'll go, Sir," Trystan quickly replied. He knew his _Thunderbolt_ 's armor was as thin as a tissue paper. If this happened a month ago, he would pretend he didn't hear Chip. It was scary, seeing himself turned into a reckless maniac. But if the situation were reversed, if it were him who was besieged by terrorists, he would want somebody to bring in big guns to get him out.

He was _the big gun_ now.

"Fair enough," Chip said. "Caelia, double up for Trystan. Everybody else, hold position!"

"I like this new attitude of yours!" Caelia quipped as Trystan moved out. "Your mech gets the best out of you."

"I guess," Trystan said. "Trade?"

"Not a chance," Caelia chuckled. "Be careful. Watch out for ambush."

Sergeant Lantham's chopper led the way toward the siege site, bobbing and weaving through alleys and narrow passages. The _Thunderbolt's_ wide profile made it difficult to travel between buildings, so Trystan chose highways and toll roads to keep up with the helicopter.

Next time he knew, a scene of carnage greeted him. A single Von Luckner tank was disabled in the middle of the road. The tracks had been destroyed by multiple RPGs. About a dozen infantrymen took cover behind the tank, battling terrorists with shoulder-mounted SRMs and RPGs. Armed trucks boxed the tank and streams of missiles pounded the tank into submission. Dead bodies from both sides littered the ground.

"You again!" Trystan sneered. He immediately fired his medium lasers at a truck full of terrorists. The truck blew up in a brilliant flash, tossing body parts into the air. The rest of the terrorists turned to face him but he sprayed his pulse lasers. Two more armed trucks exploded, and the remaining terrorists escaped the scene in disarray. A few brave Legion soldiers picked up the escaping terrorists with their guns.

"Move! Move! Move!" Trystan yelled on his external speaker. "I'll get you covered!"

Nine Ingress Legions soldiers got out of their cover, dragging four badly injured comrades. They wouldn't survive unless they had some fast transportation. Even if the nine could reach the landing pad at the end of the day, the rest would die of their wounds. That, if the terrorists didn't come back, which Trystan was sure they would.

"Sergeant Lantham, they need medevac!" Trystan called the helicopter pilot. "They won't survive this condition!"

"That's a negatory, Ace," the pilot replied. "All Karnovs are either disabled or used for something else. We are it."

"Dropship Command, bounty is secured but I will lose it unless I get medevac in the next 5 minutes!"

"I see a flatbed 300 meters from my position," Tim stated. "I can get it going!"

"Better move it quick, Tim!" Trystan said as multiple red blips appeared on his radar. "Insurgents are coming back!"

"Get the crate moving, Ace!" Chip yelled. "Archie, Blitzie, double up for Tim!"

"Get behind me!" Trystan said through his speaker. Numerous trucks poured into the vicinity, carrying RPGs and heavy machine guns. As the Legions took cover behind a building, Trystan assumed a defensive position and rerouted all generator output to his weapons, ensuring minimum recycle time.

"Show me what you're made of!" he hissed as the first truck came out from behind a building. He quickly showered the truck with his pulse laser. A few laser strands jabbed the truck and turned it into a fireball. Two more truck came out, and Trystan hit is medium lasers, torching one before it could do anything.

The other one managed to pull ahead and two terrorists sank a good missile salvo into his leg. His alarm blared. Smoke twirled from a crack on the lower leg. Trystan gritted his teeth and fired his pulse lasers at the truck. The armored truck weaved its way, dodging his shots, and disappeared behind another building. Two more armored trucks arrived and showered the _Thunderbolt_ with bullets. Trystan used his left arm as a cover. The thin armor gave way to the armor-piercing bullets. Sparks burst from the shoulder, and the _Thunderbolt_ 's left arm lost power.

Trystan lined up his crosshair with the closest truck and fired all medium lasers in unison. The energy darts vaporized half of the truck, with the remaining disappeared in a blinding explosion. Three more trucks came inbound, but Trystan sprayed his pulse laser, forcing the trucks to take evasive maneuver. Their missiles swooshed harmlessly on his left and right.

By this time a flatbed truck had parked behind the _Thunderbolt_ , and the Legions soldiers scurried out of the building. They dragged their injured comrades and secured them in the flatbed. Some insurgents saw the evacuation sequence and tried to take a shot, but Trystan moved his mech to block their line of fire. When all soldiers were secured, Tim put the flatbed in full reverse, then made a turn and roared back to the landing pad.

"Clear, man! Clear!" Tim screamed through the comlink.

Trystan rerouted all power to the myomer bundles and gunned his engine. The _Thunderbolt_ , with its left arm dangling uselessly, broke into an awkward sprint. Bullets and missiles peppered its back, but Trystan bobbed and weaved his way through the highway. The trucks kept up with him until a _Griffin_ and an _Orion_ blocked their paths. Knowing full well they could not contest the battlemechs' firepower, the trucks turned back.

Trystan screamed from the top of his lung.

"That's one hell of a run, Bro!" Caelia chimed in exultation. "From now on, that's how you drive!"

"HolycrapIdon'tbelieveit!" Trystan gasped. "Repair and reload! Repair and reload!"

"Permission granted," Chip replied with a glint of satisfaction in his voice. "Good work, Vandenberg. Your grandfather would be proud of you."

Once again Trystan yelled with reckless abandon as he brought his mech into the dropship.


	17. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

 **Review Corner** :

 **The Colonel 382** : Appreciate that. Since this is a rework, I can post pretty quickly but sometimes I need to take care of my Zoid fanfic too. That takes more time since I have to write from scratch. So enjoy and don't forget to R n R!

* * *

 _ **Grand Port, Ingress  
**_ _ **June 13, 3062**_

Trystan's daring run turned the Blazing Aces into instant celebrities.

"I am Lieutenant Garfield, Ingress Legions 2nd Company," the tall man in military fatigue introduced himself. Trystan remembered him as one of the Legions soldiers that he rescued from the insurgents. "I don't care what High Command Emily Bourles says about you. We owe you our lives. Your professionalism kept us alive and we'd gladly work with you on any situation."

"Just doing our job, Sir," Trystan replied, trying not to get too carried away. The truth was he was head over heels. All these commendations from the foot soldiers skyrocketed his ego, and although the Legions addressed the Blazing Aces as a team, Trystan knew it he was the only one who could take credit for it.

"I wish half of my platoon were alive to meet you," Lieutenant Garfield continued. "I put their blood on the Capellan Confederation's hands, along with its extended arms Zhanzheng de Guang. I will make it my business that their untimely deaths are avenged!"

"We would be glad to work with the Ingress Legions," Caelia added. "Our primary mission is the satisfaction of our customer."

"I'll drink to that," Garfield nodded enthusiastically. "Join us at the bar sometimes. Drink is on me."

"Appreciate that, Sir," Trystan said and snapped a salute when the lieutenant turned around.

"See?" Caelia shot a smile after the lieutenant left. "The _Thunderbolt_ is not that bad, is it?"

"I owe it to Archie," Trystan smiled back. "He's a great mentor. He's given me some pointers on how to extract the best performance from the _Thunderbolt_."

"Good ol' Archie. Now that you're settled with it, you have to give it a name."

"Name your battlemech?" Trystan scoffed. "I'm not giving my mech a name. It's a battlemech. It's a machine. A tool. A _thing_. Man-made thing. It's not something. Just a thing." He observed his sister's face, and realized how far she had gone with hers. "You named your battlemech, didn't you?"

"Mighty Aphrodite," Caelia grinned from ear to ear. "Can't think of anything better than that."

"That is inappropriate."

"How so?" Caelia stepped in front of Trystan, challenging his stance on battlemech handling. "It's a Roman goddess of love and beauty."

"It's _Greek_ goddess of love and beauty, Caelia," Trystan said as if he was lecturing a lazy student. "Battlemech is an instrument of destruction. There's nothing beautiful about a battlemech, just harrowing death."

"So what's the appropriate name for yours, then?" Caelia teased her brother. "The Walking Dead? Grand Vizier Jafar of Agrabah? Scarface? Say hello to my _leeettle_ friend?"

"I'm not giving mine a name," Trystan muttered. "I'm not settled on it yet."

"So when you finally get an _Atlas_ , you should call it The Pumpkinhead."

Trystan could only shake his head. "What did I do to you?"

"I love you, Bro," she playfully leaned her head on his shoulder. "But it's fun to make fun of somebody who's not having fun on fun things."

"Yeah, OK," Trystan didn't even try to understand his sister. Caelia lived in a world far away from common sense. Everything about her was the polar opposite of him. She made him want to pull his teeth out. But he had to admit, there was never a dull moment with her. As inappropriately immature as he thought of her, she made his life interesting. He couldn't imagine how boring his life could be without Caelia.

"Well well well, the Vandenberg siblings," Blitzie and Linc appeared and came toward them. "Vanity does feel good, doesn't it?"

"There is nothing worth mentioning. The lieutenant just invited us to have some drink," Trystan replied apathetically. He still held grudge against Linc after he caught him in bed with the helicopter pilot. He didn't know the nature of Caelia's relationship with Linc, but he didn't want his sister to get hurt. Caelia never told him about breaking up with Linc, so Trystan still counted it as cheating.

"I guess we're not invited to this gentleman's club," Blitzie spat.

"Not trying to pick up a fight with you gentlemen, but you should consult your battleROM before playing your 'exclusivity' card," Caelia replied with a lot of restrain in her voice. "As a customer, the Ingress Legions only looks at our track record."

"Chip's decision was crap," Linc scowled. "My _Centurion_ was shredded to bits, and Blitzie's _Victor_ is not fast enough to catch the _Cataphract_. None of us had a chance against the _Cataphract_."

"I was in a _Locust_ , and I still got the job done," Trystan replied curtly. "How much chance do you think I had against the _Cataphract_?"

"So that's it, huh? Chip gave you a mech and suddenly you're his pet dog?" Blitzie scoffed derisively.

Trystan was about to rebut but Caelia stepped in front of him. "You can't take the mechs, Gentlemen. They are ours, and they are ours because we deserve them. You may think you deserve them too but unfortunately the decision is not yours to make."

"This is not about battlemechs," Linc grimaced. "It's about Chip. We start to think that he is not a competent leader." He looked at Trystan. "I know you don't like me, but listen only to the truth. You were in the same situation with me. Chip dispossessed you for some mishap that was beyond your control. Now he denied me a mech because I objected to his ridiculous order. We are both the victim of Chip's absurd leadership."

"That's a completely different matter," Trystan replied. "I didn't do it on purpose. It was an accident. Chip's decision to ground me was unfair. You? You blatantly disobeyed order. You're a soldier, Linc. Your first responsibility as a soldier is to follow order…"

"Chip's order was gonna get me killed!" Linc hissed with bile in his eyes. "I am a mechwarrior, and as a mechwarrior my first responsibility is to defend myself!"

"Be that as it may, Chip also took the best mech for himself," Blitzie added. "You two and Humberto deserve new mechs, I give you that. But Chip? What had he done? All he did was to sit comfortably in the dropship and order us to do the dirty work. And he rewards himself with the _Orion_. Who deserves that _Orion_?"

"Not Chip, that's for sure," Linc snorted.

"We're down one mechwarrior, and he's a capable one," Caelia mused. "He merely plugged the leak."

"Capable? By what standard? Have you seen him fight?"

"He was a veteran of Tukayyid, wasn't he?"

"Anybody could make that claim! My grandmother could make that claim! The truth is my grandmother lived in a farm, and Chip might have, too."

"So what are you going to do about it?" Trystan said cautiously. He did share some opinion with Blitzie and Linc about Chip. There were times where he was not comfortable with Chip's decisions. But he wasn't going to attempt radical stunts. He was worried that Blitzie and Linc would take this matter much farther than what he wanted to do.

"We need to get him off this unit," Linc said, half whispering.

"You know, technically we're talking about mutiny," Caelia replied in a similar tone. "Under SLDF Military Act, mutineers are to be condemned to death."

"We're going to die if we keep following Chip's leadership," Linc stated begrudgingly. "The only way we can ensure our survival, and the future of the Blazing Aces, is to remove Chip from the chain of command."

"How can you do that?" Trystan cocked his brows. "Where do Tim, Archie, and Humberto stand?"

"Leave them to me," Blitzie tuned in. "The question is: Where do you stand?"

Trystan was reluctant to answer this one. "I don't know, I question his decision sometimes but it's not a reason for a mutiny, I guess. Who's going to replace him?"

"It's up to your mother, isn't it?" Linc suggested. "She still owns the Blazing Aces, doesn't she?"

"You want to bring her into this?" Caelia asked. "Mom can fire Chip in a blink of an eye, but we have to have solid case against him. His decision on who gets what in the field doesn't count as one."

"Mom strongly backs up Chip, even against me," Trystan added, recalling the Dustball incident.

"Alright, why don't we go that path?" Blitzie summarized. "Open your eyes and find everything we can use against Chip Taylor. Then we'll bring everything up to Maria Vandenberg. With overwhelming proof, I think she will take our side."

"Good, I'm solid on this plan," Linc said enthusiastically. "How about you guys?"

"I'll see what I can do," Trystan replied hesitantly.

"Yeah, me too," Caelia added. She, too, didn't sound too sure.

"Alright, keep everything to yourself for the time being. I'll approach Tim, Archie, and Humberto. Hopefully they come on board and get some more data on Chip's incompetence as the commanding officer."

Blitzie left but Linc turned to Caelia, "Can I see you tonight? It's been a while. I miss you."

"Maybe," Caelia shot a small smile. "Miss you too."

Linc returned her smile with a naughty wink, then caught up with Blitzie without looking at Trystan.

"Did you know about this?" Trystan blurted when Blitzie and Linc was far enough. "Had Linc mentioned anything about this?"

"No, never," she replied. "We never talked about work when we were together. Of course, we didn't really 'talk' when we were together, aside from… uhm, the _obvious_ stuffs," she held a giggle as her face turned red. "You know, unintelligible moans, groans, shrieks and screams, with occasional ohmygod somewhere in between. I don't really have much breath to form full sentences."

Trystan thought it would be the perfect time to tell Caelia about what he saw. "Caelia, I caught Linc in bed with Vicky Lantham, the Ingress pilot…"

Caelia didn't answer. She just averted her eyes, looking at the buildings in the distance. But her breath grew ragged. Her chest went up and down and her nostrils visibly flared up, as if she was holding back the urge to throw an unstoppable rage.

"I am sorry…" Trystan said morosely. "I just thought you had to know…"

"You hate him," Caelia murmured.

"I always hate him!" Trystan burst. "I hate him because I love you! I hate him because he hurts you!"

"That's OK, Bro."

"That is NOT OK! I don't want you to get hurt! He has no right to treat you this way!"

"It's just a booty call, Trystan," Caelia said, half whimpering. "It stings, but it will happen sooner or later. Don't' cry for me because I won't."

"I'm sorry, Sis," Trystan pulled Caelia into his embrace. "I'd do anything…"

"Thanks for looking out for me," Caelia forced herself to smile. "Now I'd like to be alone."

Trystan gave Caelia a kiss on her forehead, then let her walk slowly back to the dropship.


	18. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17**

 **Review Corner** :

 **Ulquiorra9000** : There is more to this contract, although not a lot more. And of course there will be drama and plot twists. There is no throwaway; everything happens for a reason.

* * *

 _ **Grand Port, Ingress  
**_ _ **July 3, 3062**_

"The situation is going worse. Somebody just started dropping down mechs to Ingress again. The Ingress Legions reported there is a cluster of battlemechs at the south part of Grand Port, heavy and assault classes. Looks like Liao marauders have found a way to support Ingress insurgents again. They must have a new leader to gain favor from the Zhanzheng de Guang."

Trystan couldn't really focus on the in-mech briefing. His mind was occupied by the last conversation with Blitzie and Linc about the CO of the Blazing Aces. He couldn't decide which path he wanted to follow regarding Chip. In a situation like this, Chip came up with sound strategy to keep the course of war in favor of the Blazing Aces. In their 4-month campaign in the world of Ingress, the Blazing Aces lost only 1 pilot and 1 battlemech. His negotiation skill earned the Aces 4 new battlemechs, so effectively the Aces' only loss was one mechwarrior.

On the other hand, he could understand Linc's and Blitzie's reasoning behind their grudges. Trystan didn't care about Chip's decision to snub Linc and Blitzie from the new battlemechs. He was more concerned about Chip's reasoning to send Linc or Blitzie to give chase to the _Cataphract_. Anybody could see that Linc's near-destroyed _Centurion_ wouldn't stand a chance against the _Cataphract_ in nominal condition. Blitzie's _Victor_ was just too slow to keep up with the _Cataphract_. Why did he ask Linc and Blitzie to hunt down the _Cataphract_ anyway?

But was it enough case to remove him from the Blazing Aces? Was it even enough to burden himself with concerns? Maybe not. But then, he never knew when he ended up in a situation like Linc or Blitzie.

"I don't care about the internal conflict of Ingress," Chip's voice crackled on the comlink. "I care about the Blazing Aces. If we don't take care of this battlemech problems now, we'll end up in a deep hole full of shit. So we'll sweep the southern Gran Port and destroy any opposition we encounter. No quarters are given. You see insurgents, you burn them to the ground! I want the city clean by the end of the day! Now march!"

The Blazing Aces were spread 500 meters apart. Trystan took a wide toll road. Caelia was about half a click on his left and Humberto was a bit less than 500 meters on his right. The toll road turned into a bridge road that ran through the heart of the city. Trystan set his mech to a moderate jog and ran active sensor to spot any military units 2 clicks from his position. He could see all Blazing Aces mechs on his radar lining up in a nigh straight line.

Within a few minutes heat signatures filled his radar. Manticore and Vedette tanks occupied a district of Grand Port. As the Blazing Aces closed in to 1 kilometer mark, they started firing artillery cannons. Thumpers and Long Toms roared in the distance, and a few seconds later the city went alive with fireballs.

"Heads up! Incoming artillery shots!" Caelia said through general frequency.

A Long Tom shell whistled in the air and blasted the bridge road 50 meters in front of Trystan. The explosion destroyed a large section of the bridge, cutting the high road off.

"I'm trapped," Trystan slowed down his mech. The bridge was 15 meters above the ground, and he couldn't jump down without taking damage. But he couldn't jump over the gap. His _Thunderbolt_ wasn't equipped with jump jets. And with the raining shells from the Long Toms and Thumpers, he was left vulnerable.

Trystan decided to jump off the bridge road. His _Thunderbolt_ plunged 15 meters and landed on the street below in a punishing crash. Trystan felt like the entire 65-ton mech landed on him. The mech suspensions were not set up to handle such a big impact. Armor platings cracked, struts splintered, and internal structures bent out of shape. But the suspensions held out, and Trystan drew a deep breath.

"What's your sitrep, Kid?" Chip asked.

"I'm okay," Trystan replied. "I cleared the bridge road. No critical damage. Continuing on ground level."

A Manticore and a Vedette came into range and strafed him with ballistics. Trystan sidestepped the attack, hiding behind a tall building. The adjoining buildings set ablaze when stray missiles and incendiary shells hammered them. The Manticore fired its PPC but the bolt missed the _Thunderbolt_ a few inches wide.

Trystan swung right, using the building in front of him as a cover, and fired his pulse laser at the Vedette. Molten slag splattered on the building behind it. He followed suit with the medium lasers, one at a time, hitting the same spot as accurately as he could. A red blotch started to form at the Vedette's hull.

The tanks quickly returned fire. Missiles and lasers gorged the front armor of the _Thunderbolt_. The Vedette pumped its cannon, spitting uranium-depleted shells at the _Thunderbolt's_ shoulder. Trystan gritted his teeth as the cockpit rattled from the impact. The Manticore swiveled its turret, and Trystan knew the damage that PPC bolt could cause him. He jerked his joystick behind to back up his mech, seconds before the azure energy streak swished past him.

Firing two PPC bolts in a quick succession put the Manticore in heat trouble. Trystan reversed direction and peppered the Vedette with his lasers. Two medium laser turned the armor into red-hot smelter. Smelling blood, Trystan fired his ultra-autocannon from point blank range. The Vedette's hull caved in. Smoke billowed from the overheated vehicle, and the crew jumped out of the tank, leaving the 50-ton vehicle stranded itself on a building.

The Manticore dumped half of its coolant tank and let loose a hail of missiles, but the rushed shot missed the _Thunderbolt_ by a wide margin. Trystan overrode the shutdown sequence and fired everything he had at the Manticore. Waste heat surged into the cockpit, and for a moment he thought he was going to roast himself to death. The Manticore's turret exploded, and the hull turned into a blazing inferno. The Manticore, or what was left of it, rolled aimlessly until it hit the side of a building.

Trystan opened the hatch to let the steaming-hot air escape the cockpit. He checked his radar to see his teammates, spreading across the city, fighting battle tanks and vehicles. Humberto used his _Phoenix Hawk's_ speed to go through the insurgent's blockades and destroy the artillery units. Big plume of smoke rose to the sky about 3 clicks ahead, presumably the location of the hidden artillery units.

Trystan waited until his _Thunderbolt_ returned to working temperature, then throttle up to cruising speed. Not far from the main battleground his radar picked up a lance of heavy to assault mech: one _Atlas_ -K, one _Orion_ , and two _JagerMechs_.

"Hostile battlemechs spotted!" Trystan reported as he slowed down to a moderate jog.

"See them," Caelia replied. "Moving to position."

"Alright, we have number advantage but the _Atlas_ and _Orion_ can deal severe damage to any of us," Chip orchestrated the assault on the enemy units. "Blitzie, take the _Orion_. Tim, Archie, Vandenberg Twins, swarm the _JagerMechs_. The rest of you, take down the _Atlas_. Gang up on the _Atlas_ after your target is finished. Go!"

"Yee-haaaa!" Blitzie dove headlong into battle as usual. Humberto took a large circle bypassing the _Atlas_ ' firing arc, heading for its back. Tim and Archie chose to stay outside the _JagerMech's_ range and rained down their missiles, a strategy they employed with great success time and time again. Chip immediately traded fire with _Atlas_ while Linc sneaked behind buildings and took potshots at the 100-ton mech.

"Snipe it from range," Trystan said as he moved his _Thunderbolt_ toward the remaining _JagerMech_. "I'll keep it busy."

"Flush it toward me," Caelia broke off and slipped behind a building.

Trystan took an aim at the _JagerMech_ and open fire with his UAC/5. The shells struck the _JagerMech_ 's right torso, slicing and dicing armor into jagged-edged scrap. The _JaggerMech_ staggered trying to keep it on its feet. Trystan raised his right arm and fired his pulse lasers. He cursed when his laser bolts flew off the _JagerMech_ 's head.

The _JagerMech_ found its footing and returned fire. One laser bolt landed on the _Thunderbolt's_ chest, melting armor and exposing internal structures. Cannon shells ricocheted on its legs, dangerously getting closer to the myomers. Trystan pulled his stick backward. The _JagerMech_ pressed the attack. One laser cut a gash in the arm, and autocannon shells shredded the armor on the _Thunderbolt's_ leg, already damaged when he jumped off the broken bridge. Trystan smelled burning myomer in the cockpit. The speed dropped to 60%. He kept stepping back, taking refuge behind a building.

The _JagerMech_ eagerly charged at him, spraying missiles and lasers. But a stream of pure energy jabbed it in the right torso, stopping it in its track. The _JagerMech_ staggered hard. It switched target and punished the sniping _Griffin_ with its autocannons, but Caelia deftly slipped behind a building. The armor-piercing ballistics ravaged the front side of a department store.

As the JagerMech turned its attention to his sister, Trystan took a good hard aim at the _JagerMech's_ torso and let his pulse cannon rip. The _JagerMech's_ thin front armor glowed bright red. The _JagerMech_ shifted to protect its front armor, but a dozen short-range missiles slammed into its chest. The warheads punched through the weakened armor and detonated inside. Thick oily smoke billowed from the _JagerMech's_ torso. Trystan let loose a long trace of ballistics, backing up the _JagerMech,_ peeling more layers of armor. Caelia's second PPC blast served as the death blow. The _JagerMech_ exploded in a brilliant fireball.

"The _Atlas_! We've gotta get the _Atlas_!" Trystan throttled up his mech to maximum.

The _Atlas_ held itself well against 3 battlemechs. It traded fire with Chip's _Orion_ , carving holes with its Gauss rifle and lasers. Linc and Humberto strafed the _Atlas_ from multiple directions but nothing seemed to do serious damage to it. Things changed when Trystan and Caelia stabbed the big mech from behind with the combined force of their PPC, pulse laser, and UAC/5. The massive battlemech arced forward. It twisted left to catch the _Thunderbolt_ and _Griffin_ , but Linc scored a good salvo. The _Atlas'_ arm flew in the air. Desperate, it twisted to pound the _Centurion_ with its Gauss rifle but the _Orion_ sank an alpha strike right at the torso.

Then the _Victor_ arrived, followed closely by the _Crusader_ and the other _Thunderbolt_. The _Atlas_ managed to fire one more Gauss slug before all Blazing Aces mechs buried it under smorgasbord of missiles and ballistics.

"Nice work, children," Chip chimed from his comlink. "Assume position and resume mission. We'll sweep this city until every single one of them are toast!"


	19. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

 **Review Corner** :

 **The Colonel** : In Micro$oft games, _Atlas_ is hard to kill because the game is set up as an arcade. You know, the bigger the better. I used to worship _Atlas_ and _Daishi_ and other 100-tonner like any other noobs, until I learnt how to use SPEED as my greatest weapon. After that, the 100-ton club was not appealing anymore.

* * *

 _ **Grand Port, Ingress  
**_ _ **August 31, 3062**_

In the last month the Blazing Aces ran a few more sweeps and destroyed insurgent oppositions of various strength, ranging from infantry to battlemechs. This aggressive approach finally broke the terrorist's spirit. A few battlemech units still scattered around Grand Port but most of them were cornered and harassed by Ingress Legions fighting machines.

Unfortunately, a few managed to slip away from Ingress Legions barricade.

"This is High Command Emily Bourles," the CO of Ingress Legions said through the comlink. "Abel Sayyaf, a lieutenant in Salim Abdul Aziz terror cell, has risen in rank. His battlemech lance had raided a civilian district. The inhabitants were massacred. Now we seek revenge. I know our relationship is not always harmonious, but I need you to look beyond our past. Make this a priority. Hunt down Sayyaf's lance and destroy them. These animals must pay for killing unarmed citizens!"

"Alright Aces, I want a demi lance for the job," Chip voiced over Emily Bourles' message. "I want Tim, Archie, Linc, Humberto, and the Twins to hunt Abel Sayyaf. Tim will be on point. Take any target of opportunities, but don't come back without Sayyaf's head. Blitzie, you guard the landing pad with me."

"Blazing Aces, this is Sergeant Lantham," the Ingress pilot interjected. "Forward Ingress platoons have spotted Sayyaf's lance heading toward a Capellan dropship. We are trying our best to delay the lance but we can't hold them back forever. Make your best speed to intercept them. Do not let them escape Ingress."

"Humberto, Linc, Caelia, follow Sergeant Lantham and go deep," Tim immediately took charge. "Hit them hard while waiting for Archie, Trystan and me to regroup."

"Roger that," Trystan replied as he pushed his throttle to maximum. His _Thunderbolt_ broke into a sprint behind Archie's _Thunderbolt_ and Tim's _Crusader_. He watched his sister's _Griffin_ going farther and farther from him as it outran his mech by a full 20 kph. Humberto's _Phoenix Hawk_ and Linc's _Centurion_ were already gone behind tall buildings. There was a little twinge in his heart, knowing that Caelia would engage the enemy ahead of him. The _Griffin_ was not as well-armored as his _Thunderbolt_ , and urban fighting would severely limit Caelia's best weapon. Added to that Caeila's penchant to brawl, and she had a recipe for disaster. Or so he thought.

 _Why did you have to pick that Griffin?_ Trystan sighed. _You're just gonna kill yourself_.

After a few minutes snaking between buildings, his radar picked up hostile heat signatures. A _Catapult_ , a _Centurion_ , a _Trebuchet_ , and a _Bushwacker_ were running in single column. Far in the distance a Leopard-class dropship was making a final descend on an unoccupied field, obviously trying to pick up the lance. As they spotted the Blazing Aces, the battlemech lance sprinted as fast as they could, but only made 65 kph nonetheless.

"Blazing Aces! Fire at will!" Tim roared.

Multitude of lasers, PPC bolts and missile traces leapt out of the nozzles, illuminating the dim city. Several missiles hit the _Bushwacker_ on the torso, others landed on the _Centurion_ and _Trebuchet_. Caelia's PPC sliced the _Centurion_ 's shoulder, pulling off cracks on the armor plating. The Centurion staggered hard to maintain balance.

Realizing they couldn't escape the Blazing Aces, the three medium mechs broke formation and turned back, while the _Catapult_ continued its course. Dozens of warheads leapt into the sky, swarming the Blazing Aces like a swarm of drones. The _Phoenix Hawk_ easily jumped to evade the missiles, but the _Griffin_ and the _Centurion_ staggered and swayed under the bombardment.

"Stay out of their way! Stay out of their way!" Trystan paced his mech to assist his sister, but he needed a little more time to get into range. Much to his chagrin, Caelia did the exact opposite. Her _Griffin_ , finally regaining balance, placed a PPC salvo on the _Centurion's_ waist. The high-energy bolt stopped the _Centurion_ on its track, rising temperature constantly. Caelia fired off her missiles, but missing the target by a meter to the left, and in turn setting her mech on a shutdown range. She blasted her jets in desperation, but the _Bushwacker_ joined the fray and sank a destructive salvo straight into its chest. Fire sparkled and steam hissed from the wound.

Trystan pushed his mech to its limit, and when he finally got into 700-meter range, he mashed his trigger like a maniac. Burning shrapnel jetted from the _Bushwacker's_ torso. The damage was trivial but he got the _Bushwacker's_ attention. Missiles slammed into the _Thunderbolt's_ torso, but Trystan shrugged it off. Falling under 600 meters the _Bushwacker_ let its ER large laser rip but missed, creating nothing but additional heat load on its heat sinks.

"Humberto! Stop the _Catapult_!" Tim barked his order as his missiles started raining down on the medium mechs.

The _Phoenix Hawk_ broke into full sprint, leaving the Caelia and Linc to fight 3 medium mechs. But Trystan quickly ate the gap between them and fired his UAC/5 as soon as it recycled. The armor-piercing shells struck the _Bushwacker_ knee, punching its way through the gyro. The medium mech lost its footing, swaying left and right. Trystan went straight at the _Bushwacker_ , falling under 350 meters, and pumped all his lasers at once. A ton of torso armor evaporated under the intense laser strike, and the _Bushwacker_ lurched from the loss of mass.

By this time Archie had reached the striking distance and launched his missiles to support Trystan. The _Bushwacker_ found purchase but Archie's missile volley knocked it out of balance again. It twisted and returned fire with its autocannon, but the shells flew a few inches away from the _Thunderbolt_. It switched target, trading missiles with Archie, but the rushed shot went wide. The warheads zipped past Archie's _Thunderbolt_ harmlessly.

Tristan swiveled his torso and peppered the _Bushwacker's_ busted knee. Two medium laser beams cut through the armor and started burning the myomer bundles. Archie noted the damage and sent his missiles toward the _Bushwacker_ leg. Half a dozen missiles peeled the armor off the leg and crushed the knee. The _Bushwacker_ reeled and wobbled under the assault.

Knowing that Archie had his eyes and guns on the _Bushwacker_ , Trystan switched to the _Centurion_ to support Caelia. The _Griffin_ and the _Centurion_ had been trading blows and both sustained critical hits. Caelia's ER PPC was almost useless at close range, but her twin SRM6 wreaked havoc on the _Centurion's_ chest. Likewise, the _Centurion_ dealt a couple of heavy blows on the Griffin, setting up minor fire.

Trystan fired off his lasers, showering the _Centurion_ with emerald beams. The remaining torso armor melted and drooped, exposing the chassis and internal structures. Caelia picked up the pace and sent her missiles toward the exposed torso. The _Centurion_ twisted left, protecting its damaged torso from Caelia's brute power, at the expense of its right arm. The autocannon-laden arm breached at the shoulder. The lanky mech buckled, staggering hard to keep it on its feet.

"Thank you for the aid, but I had everything under control," Caelia chimed, refusing to admit that she was in trouble despite her busted mech proved otherwise. "I have the _Centurion_ where I want it to be."

"Go help Humberto with the _Catapult_ ," Trystan prepared another onslaught. "I'll handle this one."

"You're gonna steal my kill? Shame on you!" Caelia protested.

"I wish I had a PPC but I don't!" Trystan huffed. "You're the one with a long range weapon! Come on, give Humberto some support!"

In fact, the Leopard dropship decided to lend a hand and started showering Humberto with missiles and lasers. Humberto mustered every skill to dodge the onslaught but he started taking critical damages.

"The dropship came alive! I repeat, the dropship came alive!" Caelia yelled.

"Aces, finish your enemy and take down that dropship!" Tim hollered. "I want that dropship on the ground in 2 minutes!"

Trystan mashed his alpha strike button, sending brilliant flashes at the _Centurion's_ chest. The chassis tore open and a big fireball split the mech. Trystan covered his face, weathering the heat wave from the explosion and his own mech, waiting for his guns to recycle, then proceeded to the dropship to assist his teammates.

By this time Tim and Linc had already traded missiles with the dropship. Flare blasted upon impact but the missiles did nothing more than putting dents on the robust dropship armor. Caelia's PPC cored the armor but the Leopard shrugged it off. Trystan joined in with his UAC/5 and pulse laser, but could only wince when his marksmanship merely made a red blotch on the dropship armor.

The dropship returned fire with a wall of missiles and laser beams. Trystan gritted his teeth as two dozen missiles strafed his mech. His ears rang as the explosions rattled the cockpit. He tried to take cover but the _Catapult_ homed in on him and swarmed him with more missiles. His _Thunderbolt_ jerked back and forth under the assault. His damage console flashed 60-percent armor had been wasted in a single attack.

"Concentrate fire on the engines!" Archie yelled. "Take them down fast!"

Ignoring the _Catapult_ , Trystan trained all weapons and razed the Leopard engines. His shots didn't do much damage, but his lancemates picked up where he left out. Smorgasbord of missiles, ballistics, laser beams and particle bolts ravaged the engines. Soon two exhausts bled fire, and the Leopard started to weave midair. Trystan abused his trigger, emptying his ammo drum in a long, sustaining fire. One engine exploded, and the dropship spun out of control. It crashed into a building, taking the entire structure down in a dust storm.

Without the protection of the dropship, the _Catapult_ had nothing to offer against 6 hungry mechs. Missiles and laser bolts quickly stripped the _Catapult_ bare, leaving only chassis and internal structure intact. Caelia's particle bolt cored the chassis and incinerated the magazines. The _Catapult_ erupted in a geyser of burning shrapnel.

"Justice is served!" Tim declared victory. "Let's go home, guys! The Ingress Legions should pay us handsomely for this mission!"


	20. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19**

 **Review Corner**

 **The Colonel** : There is an old Chinese saying: "The taller the tree grows, the farther it sways in the wind". Fits to just about anything in real life (and role-playing games too)

 **Ulquiorra9000** : The Art of War by Sun Tzu (the real Sun Tzu, not Capellan Sun Tzu): "He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces".

* * *

 _ **Grand Port, Ingress  
**_ _ **September 9, 3062**_

The last string of the insurgents off-world support was broken along with the destruction of Zhanzheng de Guang dropship. Without Zhanzheng de Guang support, the insurgents went on full retreat, and the Ingress Legions spread their forces to every corner of the city to hunt down the remaining of the insurgents, making sure that bloody chaos like this wouldn't happen again in the future.

As order was restored and Grand Port inhabitants started coming back to the city, Maria Vandenberg arrived to sign off the contract with the Ingress Legions. Emily Bourles represented Duke Blake Small in signing off the documents. Judging from her body language, she was largely satisfied with the Blazing Aces performance, although anyone could guess that the battlemech incident would prevent the unit from getting the highest mark.

"The Ingress Legions is satisfied with your work," Maria debriefed the team, confirming everybody's suspicion. "You performed above and beyond in the line of duty. The executions of the top insurgents within the first month of your contract, the successful rescue of a Legions' platoon behind enemy line, and the annihilation of Zhanzheng de Guang's dropship were critical in keeping the course of the conflict in the Legions' favor. At this point the Ingress Legions have total control of the city of Grand Port. We are not needed anymore."

"What about the battlemechs we confiscated from the insurgents?" Caelia asked. "Is Commander Bourles still making a big deal about it?"

"They are ours," Maria said. "She was still discontented with us taking all four battlemechs, but I assured her that Ingress Legions wouldn't have gotten the city back if they had taken the mechs for themselves. Nobody in their ranks had battlemech qualifications, so even though they took the mechs to war, the result wouldn't have been the same. We won the war because we had the right tools for the right personnel."

"We're down one member and 3 extra battlemechs," Linc said, referring to the abandoned _Locust_ , _Stinger_ , and _Javelin_. "Are we going to recruit new members? You know, we could have air support…"

Trystan was about to open his mouth but Maria raised her hand. "We are growing as a team and we will recruit new members, and eventually add another battlemech to make it to company strength. But not here. I have accepted an easy contract with Solaris Home Defense League. This FedCom Civil War had spread to every corner of the Inner Sphere, including the game world of Solaris VII. Tension is running high between Steiner and Davion supporters. SHDL concerns about the tournaments in January, so they hired several mercenary units to double up the security around the arenas. As you work with the defense, I will recruit mechwarriors, so when the contract ends we will be company strong."

"Solaris! Yeah!" Blitzie hooted. "I can't wait to try my hands at Boreal Reach!"

"You will need to survive blood pits before you can get to Boreal Reach, you doofus!" Tim spat.

"You don't know anything about Solaris, do you?" Blitzie came right at Tim. "Everything is about money. Dough. Spendola. C-bills. You have c-bills, you can do anything at Solaris!"

"You can't even get past a _Quickdraw_!" Tim snorted. "Let's see if you can get past a blood pit before you get your Gauss rifle shoved up your ass at Boreal Reach!"

"How about we'll see if I can get past _you_?" Blitzie sneered.

"You wanna see how it gets done, Richie Rich?" Tim fired back at him.

"Alright, boys, don't get too carried away," Maria halted the two before things got out of hand. "You can have fun at Solaris but we come to Solaris to work. Let's keep things professional. Do your job, then have fun."

Chip, however, wasn't very happy with the new contract. "This is undignified," he said to Maria. "Solaris is a game world. Blitzie's right, everything is about money. It's all show business. Nothing is real. What do you expect the team to learn from games and shows?"

"We are not there to take part in the tournaments, Major Taylor," Maria replied, maintaining her composure. "We go to Solaris to get an easy contract and to recruit new members. We have the assets to make the Blazing Aces to a company. All we need are competent recruits."

"Mercenary recruits are at Outreach."

"Who are mostly rookies with no real-life experience. Solaris VII is ripe with veterans who want to try to retire with a lot of money. I'm sure we can convince 4 of these veterans to join the Blazing Aces."

"Skill and experience is proportional to salary. I would rather recruit rookies and train them to the team's standard, then deploy them at real war where money is well earned. I don't want to spend a lot of money for bozos that think they are the greatest mechwarriors alive on games or faked combats."

"Leave money to me, Major."

"You're making a mistake. FedCom Civil War is brewing. We're wasting time at Solaris."

"Well, you are a capable leader with respectable combat experience, and I trust your judgment on the battlefield," Maria said with gentle but firm tone. "But where this unit goes is my decision. I am the owner of the Blazing Aces. The contract is signed. We are going to Solaris VII."

Trystan watched the conversation anxiously, hoping that Chip would do something that convinced Maria to fire him on the spot. He had grown respect of him from the way he led the Blazing Aces during the Ingress campaign. The campaign would've lasted longer than 4 months without Chip's sharp leadership. But outside the battlefield, Chip created acrimonious relationship with other members, and he started a friction with Maria. Trystan was worried that this situation would become worse and worse to the point that their battlefield performance would be affected by interrelationship animosity.

Unfortunately, Chip yielded. "Whatever you say, then," he huffed.

"Alright Aces, pack up your things. We are leaving Ingress," Maria said. She came to Trystan and Caelia with twinkling eyes. "You know what I'm most proud of? You. You have grown so much in the past 4 months, from juvenile imps to main players in a team of adult warriors. I watch you everyday from HPG uplink, and I pray everyday to give me a sign to abort contract and just get you guys out of Chaos March. I'm glad it didn't happen, so I get to watch you mature to where I want you to be."

"Aw Mom," Caelia hugged her mother.

"I have the best _wingman_ in the Inner Sphere," Trystan quipped, shooting a smile at his sister.

"And I have the best wingman in the universe," Caelia slapped Trystan's arm in return.

"Then nothing else is to be said," Maria wrapped her arms around her twins. "Let's get out of Chaos March."

"Right behind you Mom," Caelia replied and waited until Maria walked out of sight. She turned to Trystan, her eyes burning with excitement. "Solaris, man! We're going rich!"

"You're not buying into Blitzie's plan to take part in the arena fight, are you?" Trystan said, and he immediately regretted he asked, knowing how immature Caelia could act.

"Why not?" she grinned. "It's a chance to increase your skill and your pocket! And as for you, this might be your only chance to get laid. You know what they say: chicks dig scars."

"I'm not doing it and neither should you!" Trystan grunted. "You heard Mom: we have to be professional. We come there to work. So we have to focus on the job."

"I'm just messing with you, Bro!" Caelia slapped Trystan's arm again. "What's the matter with you? Can't take a joke? Looks like we came from different fathers…"

"Caelia!" Trystan snarled. "You are out of the line!"

"Come on, lighten up!" Caelia started walking toward her _Griffin_. "If Blitzie wants to get his ass chomped in the arena, he can do it alone. I'm just gonna go to the betting line. Kyle Garret is doing really well all season. I think he's the No.1 contender for the light circuit. Thunder Thorley is not far behind him. I can bet on Garret for easy money, but the odd is bigger on Thorley, so if Thorley pulls an upset, I get better money. Not an easy choice."

"Be careful with gambling," Trystan took a deep breath. "It can suck you dry."

"It can also grant you retirement fund," Caelia winked.

"If you bet on the right man. How do you know you bet on the right man?"

"Luck. I believe in luck."

"Well I believe in hard work," Trystan scoffed. "Nothing justifies spending my hard work money on gambling."

"Suit yourself," Caelia smiled from ear to ear. "I will see you on the dropship."

Trystan watched his sister climb her battlemech and wonder if anything could ever drop her morale. She was clearly hurt when she received the news of Linc cheating on her, but only for a few days. Trystan didn't know what came out of that, and he didn't want to know. It was not on his sister's mind anymore, so it shouldn't be on his.

Trystan puffed sharply, then walked toward his mech.


	21. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER 20**

 _ **Thor Shieldhall,  
**_ _ **Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**_ _ **Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**_ _ **January 14, 3063**_

Torrential rain had been whipping Solaris City for days, but not even the heavy downpour failed to douse Caelia's upbeat demeanor.

"Wow, Thor Shieldhall!" she looked at the famous bar with wide-opened eyes, as if the raindrops didn't bother her. "You know who drinks here? Gray Noton. Justin Allard. O'Bannon Sisters. Peter Manfredo. All the Solaris legends who ever grazed the sand of the Colloseum."

"That is Valhalla Club, Caelia," Trystan sighed, unimpressed by his sister's twisted knowledge about Solaris game world (and just about anything, for that matter). "And who the hell is Peter Manfredo? I've never heard of him."

"Doesn't matter," she scoffed in response. "Come on, let's check it out!"

"Caelia, Thor Shieldhall is just a low-level bar," Trystan hesitated. "There's nothing to see here, only angry mechjocks and arena losers. No intelligent life around here."

"No intelligent life? That's very pretentious of you," Caelia grabbed Trystan's arm and started dragging him. "Come on, have fun! Don't you want to experience a real Solaris life? This is a chance in a life time! If you are right, if there is actually no intelligent life, you can beam us up."

"Caelia, you'll get us into trouble…" but Trystan knew it was useless to put common sense in Caelia's head. He just teetered behind his sister who enthusiastically barged in. The smell of alcohol, smoke, wet clothes, and body odor reeked from every corner of the bar. It churned Trystan's stomach so bad he retched a couple times. He didn't understand how Caelia could stand such a foul stench hanging in the air.

His sister, on the other hand, scurried among tables like a child in a candy store. A few customers shot dirty looks at her, and Trystan regretted his decision to follow Caelia. Some of those customers had prosthetic arms that looked like made from aluminum or titanium alloys. Those implants alone looked heavier than his skinny, 145-lb frame. If he had to fight those guys, he would surely end up in a hospital or a morgue. Not to mention concealed weapons under their bedraggled outfit.

But Caelia wasn't bothered by the atmosphere and quickly settled on a table next to the window. A waitress with jet-black hair and pretty eyes walked by and said something about coming back in a few minutes. Trystan was amused by her appearance. There was something about her eyes, twinkling in delight under the dim light, but with a shade of melancholy. Among all the servers at the bar, she genuinely looked the prettiest – at least in Trystan's eyes.

The server took order from a rude man sitting on the next table. He wore a sleeveless shirt that was unbuttoned halfway down his chest, boasting a well-toned body underneath. He sat with a young redhead, too young to be in a bar like Thor Shieldhall. She had a tattoo in her upper left arm, two kanji characters that Trystan never cared to know.

"Sorry about the wait," the waitress finally came around. "Welcome to Thor Shieldhall. My name is Emi. I will take care of you this afternoon. First time at Solaris?"

"You bet!" Caelia chimed. "I've been watching the games for some time and I'm dying to be here to experience the place first handed!"

"I'm glad you get the chance," Emi smiled and popped two bottles of beer. "For every first-time guest to Solaris, we have first round on the house."

"Free beer? Holy smokes, I love Solaris!" Caelia hooted and quickly chugged down a third of a bottle.

"Hey, hey, hey, slow down!" Trystan said, trying to get the bottle from Caelia's hand. "Don't hurt yourself!"

"I guess you're not a heavy drinker, Mister?" Emi said, holding back a giggle. "May I suggest something lighter for you?"

"No, he doesn't need something lighter," Caelia blurted before Trystan could reply. "He needs something _stronger_ so he can loosen up and get laid for the first time…"

"Caelia! What is the matter with you?!" Trystan yelled. He turned to Emi with bright red face. "No Ma'am, no more beer for me and definitely no more beer for her!"

"Are you sure? Thor Shieldhall is a Bavarian bar, and Bavarians are very proud of their beer," Emi smiled. "I'll let you settle with this but I will come back for more choices…"

By this time the rude patron on the next table had yelled some derogatory comments at Emi. The waitress nodded solemnly and left the table. Trystan shot a dirty look at the guy, but accidentally traded hostile stare with him. Now the other guy knew that Trystan took offense of his behavior, and he started making threatening gesture. Trystan quickly turned around, hoping to avoid confrontation.

"I see that look," Caelia chugged her beer. "You like the waitress!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Trystan felt his ears were burning hot.

"You like Emi the waitress!" Caelia teased him further. "And all this time I thought you'd die a virgin…"

"Caelia, you have too much beer," Trystan hissed, half whispering. "I do not see her that way. She is pretty, but I'm more concerned about her feeling. The guy on the next table has been harassing Emi since we got here, and I feel for her…"

"Because you like her," Caelia grinned from ear to ear. "Now go back there to the kitchen and sweep her off her feet…"

"What? No! No way in hell!"

"Women love romantic crap, Trystan."

"I'm not doing romantic crap for some random woman!"

"She's not a random woman," Caelia finished her bottle. Her face started to turn red, and her speech slurring. "She's the woman that will bear your offspring…"

"Bear my… what in the world? Caelia, seriously, stop drinking!" Trystan grabbed the bottle from Caelia's hand, but realized that it was futile since she had emptied it. He grabbed her hand and started to drag her out of the bar. "We have to get out of here before you get us in deep sh…"

"Leaving so soon?" suddenly Emi arrived with a booklet of alcoholic beverages. "I was just about to show you guys what we have in Thor Shieldhall."

"That wouldn't be necessary," Trystan smiled courteously. "My sister has too much drink already…"

"Oh no no, we'll stay," Caelia yanked her hand from Trystan's grip. "OK, what do you have?"

Emi went through a list of drinks, from local beer to exotic drink that could cost them their entire budget for battlemech ammunition. She left the booklet on the table and said, "So where are you going, if you don't mind my asking?"

"To work," Trystan replied. "We have a contract with SHDL."

"That's him," Caelia tuned in. "I'm going to the betting line. Kyle Garret and Thunder Thorley are going to make me rich. I think I'm going to split my money 50-50 between them."

"Well, if you can take some advice, there's a better alternative than Davion or Liao agents," Emi said.

"Another player?" Trystan and Caelia said at the same time.

"His name is Parker. One day he showed up here looking for work, next time I know he's up there in the big league. I heard some irked mechjock said that he employed tactics normally used by Clan mechwarriors. Nothing's wrong with that, if you ask me, but I don't know the rules. Right now he ranks second on the light circuit, behind only Kyle Garret. Not bad, considering he only pilots a _Wasp_. Thunder Thorley had been pushed down to third. So if I were you I'd put my money on this guy."

Caelia gaveTrystan a blank stare. "How can we miss this… this… "Parker" guy?"

"I don't know, but…" Trystan shot a jealous look at Emi. "You sound to know this guy intimately."

"He's my regular customer."

"I thought big shots only go to Valhalla Club."

"Well, not him," Emi wiped the table. "I don't know if he goes to Valhalla. I know he goes to Thor Shieldhall, almost everyday, drinking alone. Funny though, he looks like a sad, miserable man, despite his sudden fame…"

By this time, the rude man started harassing Emi again. Trystan looked at him with much despise, then looked at Emi empathically, "Who is that guy? Is he harassing you?"

"Never mind him," Emi replied. "His name is Mac, Mac Storm. He's just a regular mechjock."

"He shouldn't treat you that way," Trystan huffed.

"I appreciate that, Mister," Emi replied with a smile. "But it comes with the job. I'm used to it."

For the third time the rude Mac Storm shouted some derogatory comment at Emi. Trystan had enough. He didn't know what caused him to have the audacity to confront the rude mechjock, but that was exactly what he did. He got up and walked toward the other table.

"Sir," he said as politely as possible. "The waitress is serving us. Please give her a break. She will get back to you when she's done with us."

Mac took a big swig of whatever he was drinking, then got up and launched his hook at Trystan. Trystan didn't expect such violence, and even if he did, he wasn't trained to deal with it anyway. Mac's fist busted his face, and for a moment Trystan thought he saw explosions. His body turned to jelly and his bones lost rigidity. He sloshed to the floor with blood streaming from his nose.

"Who do you think you are, boy?" Mac crouched in front of him. "Your mother doesn't beat you hard enough?"

"Just leave us alone, man!" Trystan said, realizing he had bitten more than he could chew.

"I will," Mac grabbed Trystan's shirt, "after I give you something to remember me by!"

Mac cocked his arm to beat up Trystan but Caelia grabbed the empty beer bottle and slammed in on the edge of the table. She used the sharp, jagged-edge bottle as a weapon and sliced Mac's left cheek with it. Mac screamed and held his cheek. Blood gushed from between his fingers. He drew his gun but Trystan kicked his leg. Mac tumbled backward, right on top of another table with half a dozen customers.

Mac's girlfriend joined the fight and kicked the bottle off Caelia's hand. Caelia tried to hit her but she was fast, much faster than Caelia thought she would be. Her leg snapped like a thunderbolt and her heel hammered Caelia's right eye. Caelia tumbled backward, bringing down another table.

As the fight became worse, Emi quickly called the bar's security so in a minute half a dozen large guys stormed the bar and seized Trystan and Caelia. They tried to seize Mac too, but Mac said or did something to them, then in a bizarre twist they let Mac and his girlfriend go.

"What? He started the fight! He punched me first!" Trystan tried to the break free. "I'm the victim here!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, tell it to the cops," the large guys muttered indifferently.

"Cops? No no no, I can't go to jail!" Trystan moaned. He turned to Caelia, who was busy squirming herself. "Look what you did!"

"Me?! You're the one that macho up to that Mac guy!" Caelia yelled back. "All I did was drink!"

"I told you coming here was a bad idea!"

"All I did was drink! It's all you, Trystan! It's all your fault!"

The bar security could care less. They dragged the Vandenberg siblings to a van and drove off.


	22. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER 21**

 **Review Corner**

 **The Colonel** and **Ulquorra9000:** It's Solaris 3063. Can't forget about my best BTech guy just yet :) Stay tuned for more cameos

* * *

 _ **Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**_ _ **Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**_ _ **January 14, 3063**_

Trystan always took pride in his 'clean' record. He had never skipped school, or training, or briefing, or other important proceedings. He was always punctual. He used his spare time to read or study or hit simulators to improve his performance. He was content with the life he led and intended to keep it that way for as long as he could.

So spending a night in a police cell severely bruised his self-esteem. He sat on the thin-padded cot all night. His nose was swollen as big as a golf ball, and every time he inhaled it made a honking sound like an the annoying booby bird from his home of Anders Moon. His eyes turned red and watery from the swell. He had to breathe from his mouth so as not to make too much noise.

Caelia sat doubled on the adjacent cell, nursing her temple, and if Trystan could reach her, he would've strangled his sister for ruining his life. But Caelia was in her own predicament. Her right eye was swollen shut, leaving only a narrow slit. All night long she didn't speak a word, an unusual trait considering how bubbly she was on daily basis. As mad as he was at his sister, he felt terrible for making her depressed that way.

Two cops opened the main gate in a loud clang, robbing Trystan from his reckoning. The cops escorted his mother and Chip, presumably to bail him and his sister out. The cops opened the cell doors and left the four of them alone. Chip looked at them in disgust, while Maria tried subtly to hide her feelings but it was clear she shared the same mood with Chip.

"I told you coming to Solaris was a mistake," Chip hissed as he led the way out of the brig corridor.

"I will handle my own children," Maria replied firmly.

"You and me have worked hard to bind the mechwarriors together in high standard but your children sabotage our good work and negate everything we fought together…"

"Major, I will say this for the last time, leave them to me," Maria stood tall in front of Chip, blocking his path. "Continue your good work on the other mechwarriors. These two urchins are mine to handle."

Chip made a loud huff then left the Vandenbergs alone. Maria signed a few paperworks to release Trystan and Caelia from the police office, then stormed out of the office without looking back.

"Mom…"

"What part of professionalism do you not understand?!" Maria unleashed her pent-up rage after Trystan goaded her. "We are not here for a week and you already got yourself locked up by the cops! I defended my decision to come to Solaris from Chip at every turn, and now you're making me believe that I should've taken his side in the first place! Look at your faces! Your grandfather would've been rolling in his grave!"

"Sorry, Mom," Trystan whimpered.

"Yes, Mom, I'm sorry too," Caelia added.

"I can't deal with you now! I have 2 interviews in 15 minutes, but instead of reviewing the dossiers of potential hires, I'm bailing you out from a police office! I'm taking you down from active roster! You'll have plenty of time thinking of how much damage you did to my plan!"

"Mom, that's not fair!" Trystan moaned. This was the second time he was grounded, and just like the first time, he didn't think it was just. "We were minding our own business but this rude man was harassing our server and when I told him to settle down a little he punched me! He initiated the fight but he got to walk away!"

"It's a low level bar, Trystan! What do you expect?" Maria snarled, baring her teeth.

"Mister Honker here tried to pick out, shake up, and turn around a waitress in the bar," Caelia chimed in.

"I did not do such thing!" Trystan yelled. "I did the right thing! I never fault you for getting inside the bar in the first place, Caelia! So you back off!"

"We wouldn't have this problem if you just sat your ass down and kept your mouth shut!" Caelia roared back. "That's always your problem, Trystan! You just can't sit back and enjoy life!"

"You two idiots decide who's going to take the blame for your immaturity," Maria left the two siblings and walked toward her car. "I'm late for interviews."

"I'm going back to the hotel," Caelia turned around and started walking. "You're too dumb to realize that you ruin your own life."

"Oh yeah? Look in the mirror, Caelia!" Trystan shouted, but Caelia just walked away. He chased down her mother that had gotten into a car. "Mom, please, don't put me down from the roster! I take the responsibility of not taking care of my sister but I didn't initiate the fight. The guy hit me first! I didn't do anything wrong!"

"You didn't get it, do you Trystan?" Maria sighed. "You're the logical one. You are the one to succeed the Blazing Aces command from Chip Taylor. It's not about the fight. It's not about getting locked up in a cell. It's about you and what you did. I am very disappointed."

"I'm sorry, Mom," Trystan took the passenger seat. "Please don't take me off the roster."

"Chip already made arrangements, and I am backing him up."

"Oh man…" Trystan winced. He decided to bring up Chip's questionable leadership to take some pressure off him. "You can't trust Chip, Mom. He hates me. He may hate Caelia too. And I'm not the only one who feels uncomfortable with his decisions. There had been some talks about Chip's leadership. He's creating a rift among the Blazing Aces."

"He kept the Blazing Aces together under poor management of the Ingress Legions," Maria snorted. "He led the Blazing Aces from fighting with backs against the wall to winning the campaign, losing only one casualty. Nobody can agree with you 100 percent. I don't always agree with him and he doesn't always agree with me. But in a matter of life and death, he does the right thing. Until you show true leadership, Chip will assume command of the Blazing Aces."

"But Mom, he's not supporting your decision to Solaris VII…"

"He's not perfect but he's your CO, Trystan. Instead of badmouthing him, you should learn from him. If you want to show leadership and maturity, going against your CO is not the appropriate platform. And don't hide behind Chip's problem. He's not the one I'm disappointed with."

Trystan was out of words. He knew that his mother wouldn't budge from her decision. And come to think of it, he deserved the punishment. His sin was not to initiate a bar fight or to get locked up by the cops. It was to fail to perform like a leader, a fact Maria Vandenberg had been drilling him to do.

"I failed you, Mom," he said with a heavy sigh. "I'll take blame."

Maria looked at her son for a long time, then decided to give him something to best use of his time. "Come with me. You're not going to do anything with your battlemech anytime soon, so might as well help me doing administrative work."

Administrative work, a.k.a. desk job. It was undignified for a mechwarrior, and Trystan wanted to raise dispute, but he would only make things worse. So he solemnly took the passenger seat and buckled up. Maria drove the car through the busy streets of Solaris City until they came to a lounge in the International Zone. She parked the car and took a large binder from the car's luggage compartment. Trystan offered her a hand, and together they walked into the lounge and through a long corridor until they arrived at a small room.

A chubby boy was waiting for them. He was short and stocky. His unkempt hair covered most of his eyes. His shoulder sagged as if he was carrying a heavy burden. He was wearing a drab t-shirt with baggy pants that covered half of his shoes. If Maria was looking for mechwarriors, this one surely didn't look like one.

"Only one of you?" Maria said with disappointed tone. "I'm supposed to interview 2 people."

"Uh… he go away, Ma'am," the brute mumbled with a thick Irish accent. "You late."

"Yeah, I know, I'm late," Maria sighed as she gave Trystan a dirty look. "But don't you guys need a job?"

"I do, yeah… heh heh," the brute chuckled awkwardly.

"And you are?" Maria looked at him from head to toe.

"Ronan… O'Reilly."

Maria flipped her folder with much disbelief, refusing to acknowledge that the name was on her list as one of the two interviewees she was meeting that day.

"Do you have a battlemech?" Trystan asked skeptically. "Do you even know what a battlemech is?"

"I do, Sir, an _Assassin_. Not the best of mech but fast and… uh, yeah… fast, heh heh."

"Mr. O'Reilly, I think we should call it a day," Maria interjected.

"I don't go interview with you, Ma'am?" the brute replied with a slight disappointment.

"You will hear from me," Maria shot a faked smile then stormed out of the room, leaving the boy dumbfounded. Trystan gave the boy a courtesy nod and tried to catch up with his mother.

"Are you going to give him a call back?" he asked clumsily.

"Him? Are you shitting me?" Maria turned at him with bile in her eyes. "I am to meet 2 guys, one has an impressive record, the other is a dumb retard! I lost the good one because I had to bail you out of the jail! And you're worried about me giving that guy a call back?"

Trystan could only stare blankly. "I am sorry, Mom."

Maria tossed her folder into the back of the car and slammed the door. "You ruin my entire day, Trystan. Let's just go home!"

Trystan didn't even dare to say anything.


	23. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER 22**

 **Review Corner** **:**

 **The Colonel:** Maria is stern but not cruel. She knows the difference between making a statement and humiliating.

 **Ulquiorra9000** : Watch _The Prince of Egypt_. It's  always the firstborn's fault. Why? Because one day he's going to lead an "empire". One weak link can break the chain of a mighty dynasty. It's the parents' job to not make their firstborn the weak link.

* * *

 _ **Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**_ _ **Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**_ _ **February 4, 3063**_

The hiring process took longer than anticipated, and it started gnawing on Trystan's patience. Maria met and interviewed about a dozen mechwarriors, ranging from up-and-coming newbies that didn't know a lot about battlemech combat, to seasoned veterans that had seen real wars but were looking toward retiring rich. The rookies were just too inexperienced and the veterans asked more than Maria was willing to pay. If it were up to Trystan, he would've hired a few mechwarriors and be done with it. But Maria was very particular about her candidates.

"We can train rookies!" Chip often blasted Maria for her selection. "Get a handful of them for cheap, and leave them to me! I will train them to be dependable mechwarriors!"

But Maria wouldn't budge. She kept searching and finally hired 2, but the Blazing Aces were still down by 2 to make it company strength. While Maria went out for another meeting, she tasked Trystan to compile the paperwork for the 2 new hires.

Trystan finished the paperwork and rushed to get out of the room. His head throbbed with pain, and the longer he did administrative work the closer he was to committing suicide. He left the rental property to go to Thor Shieldhall but unexpectedly bumped into Caelia.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's with the rush?" Caelia noticed his haste. "Going back to Thor Shieldhall?"

"Uhm, I'm not," Trystan fibbed. He felt his face burning with shame. "I just need some fresh air."

"Mom drives you crazy, doesn't she?" Caelia gave him a naughty wink. "Wanna check out some of the Blood Pits?"

"No thanks, I'd rather be alone."

"Not after seeing this, you won't!" she pulled a big pile of c-bills from her pocket. "Check this out, Bro!"

"Where did you get that?" Trystan said, worried that his sister might get involved in something even more malicious than a bar fight. "What did you do this time?"

"I followed your girlfriend's pointer," Caelia smiled as she slapped Trystan's chest with the thick pile of money. "I split my money between Parker and Kyle Garret. Guess what, Garret came first, Parker second. Thunder Thorley got killed in the arena. That's the retribution of listening to a woman's intuition. Now you listen to me, Trystan. We're going to a Blood Pit and we're going to make more money!"

"What? No! Caelia, don't throw away your money!" Trystan stopped her. "You won a lot of money and I'm happy for you! Now stop while you're ahead!"

"I'm not throwing away money when I'm feeling good. I'm feeling good, Bro!"

"Feeling good is not enough. You got a pointer on the light circuit championship. What do you have now? Do you even know who's fighting?"

"Here, doofus, take a look at this," Caelia produced a booklet of a low-level Solaris arena, normally known as the Blood Pit. "Fist Difalco, some sort of a local gangster, will play at the Death Dance arena in an hour. He's not special but he rides a _Ryoken_. Big, fast, nasty Clan-made omnimech. He shouldn't get much opposition today. I mean, look at these bozos that'll share the field with him: Butch McKenna, Ludmila Munsoon, Ronan O'Reilly, Anita Muscate… Muscatollyi? Mascatelli? Ah whatever, she's a goner anyway…"

Ronan O'Reilly. Trystan remembered the name as one of the hopefuls to get hired by the Blazing Aces. He had the fortune – or misfortune – to meet Ronan and he agreed with Caelia that the Irish boy didn't have a chance in the arena, but he still wanted to see the beat down by the big bully Fist Difalco. It might make his day.

"Alright, I'll go with you," Trystan said. "I won't bet; I just want to see the match."

"Chicken!" Caelia scoffed. "The arena is half an hour away. Let's go!"

Without waiting for Trystan's reply, Caelia rushed to get a cab. Trystan followed his sister into the taxi cab and buckled up as the hover car sped through the busy streets of Solaris City. SHDL troops were still on high alert after a massive riot that almost burnt Cathay District following the death of Thunder Thorley, Cathay's arena hero, at the end of light circuit championship a few days ago. The Blazing Aces' contract was extended by SHDL lest Capellan's supporters raised another riot in "retaliation". It made Trystan sad that he couldn't partake in this operation just because of a bar fight.

Arriving at the Death Dance arena, Caelia bolted to the betting line while Trystan bought tickets and reserved seats for the two of them. Multiple screens showed the interior of the arena, a mundane square concrete field with obstacles spread over the range. Eight medium battlemechs had entered the arena, and the big _Ryoken_ stood out among other 40-50 ton battlemechs.

"Yeah, look at that big daddy," Caelia said referring to the _Ryoken_. "Come on Difalco, make me rich!"

"I hope you bet on him," Trystan replied indifferently.

"Oh, yeah, but he's the favorite so the odds is not good. I added 2 more bozos to my line up, just in case. This is Solaris. You never know what's gonna happen."

The match soon started and the spectators roared in delight, watching the _Ryoken_ trotted down the field and opened fire on a _Vulcan_ directly in front of it. The laser bolts immediately stripped the awkward-looking mech front armor. The _Vulcan_ staggered, taking several steps backward but the _Ryoken_ sank another brutal salvo to its already damaged torso. Layers of armor plating turned into bubbling mass.

As Caelia squealed in ecstasy, Trystan turned his attention to the _Assassin_ , hoping to see a quick end of the sluggish Irish boy. Much to his surprise, the 40-ton mech was anything but. A 50-ton _Enforcer III_ fired off its large-bored autocannon but the _Assassin_ deftly used its jets to slide down the field and take cover behind a concrete obstacle. The UAC10 munitions tore down half of the obstacle, but the _Assassin_ was safe behind it.

A _Crab_ decided to gang up on the _Assassin_. Laser strands hammered the left side of the _Assassin_ , turning armor into molten gooey. But in a superb control the 40-ton mech turned and sacked the _Crab_ with its missiles. The volley stunned the _Crab_ momentarily, giving the _Assassin_ a precious second to get out of the _Crab's_ line of fire. The _Enforcer III_ cleared the obstacle and rained down its lasers on the _Assassin_ , but the surprisingly sprightly mech slipped behind the stunned _Crab_. The _Enforcer's_ high energy bolt inadvertently hit the _Crab_ 's right torso. The _Crab_ retaliated with a straight laser salvo, drilling the _Enforcer's_ center torso. The two 50-ton mechs locked themselves in a debilitating fight, and ignored the _Assassin_.

"This guy is _good_!" Trystan exclaimed, surprised to see the seemingly slow and crude Ronan turned out to be a very skillful mechjock.

"I don't think he's that good," Caelia replied. "He just happens to have the biggest gun…"

"No, no, no, not Difalco! Ronan O'Reilly, the guy in the _Assassin_!"

"Why are you rooting for the _Assassin_? He's a dead meat!"

"No he's not! Just watch, he's gonna be the last man standing!"

"Wanna bet on that?"

"Bet?" Trystan said, then realized he might as well. But the betting line had been closed, so he just had to sit and watch the game.

Fist Difalco had dispatched the _Vulcan_ and was now working on a _Hollander II_. The _Hollander's_ powerful Gauss Rifle made a bad gash on the _Ryoken's_ left torso, but the _Ryoken's_ lasers drilled the _Hollander's_ torso inch by inch until they reached the delicate machinery of the Gauss Rifle. An unfortunate shot singed the Gauss Rifle power conduit. Critical explosion ripped the entire right torso apart, and the _Hollander II_ careened, face flat on the concrete floor.

After a quick brutal engagement, the _Enforcer III_ managed to finish off the _Crab_. But it had lost the majority of the armor and half the weapons. Its torso was a sloppy mess, and its autocannon-laden right arm breached at the elbow. Leaving with few things to fight, the Davion mech stood haplessly in front of the eager _Assassin_. A missile salvo was all it took to blast the _Enforcer III_ to pieces.

Trystan watched with great anticipation as the _Assassin_ finally faced off with the _Ryoken_ in the final duel of the match. The _Ryoken_ drew first blood with his lasers. The _Assassin_ ducked, missing all but one medium laser. The emerald beam drilled the _Assassin_ 's leg, burning myomer bundles. The _Assassin_ tried to swing around but there was a noticeable limp on its gait. Smelling blood, the _Ryoken_ let loose a laser downpour, trying to finish off the _Assassin_ , to the point of overheating. The _Assassin_ pulled out all the stops to dodge the laser volleys, surviving a couple of critical hits, but came out alive nonetheless. Its arms were seared clean, leaving the 40-ton mech with ammo-dependent missile launchers as its last resort.

But as the _Ryoken_ waited to cool down, the _Assassin_ fired all remaining weapons. Missiles struck the damaged left torso. A brilliant explosion tore the torso apart, and the Clan-made mech staggered, coping with the loss of mass. The _Assassin_ circled the _Ryoken_ , throwing bombs whenever possible. The once glorious Clan mech now stood a flaming heap of metal.

But the _Ryoken_ was just too big and too strong for the _Assassin_. In a desperate gambit, the _Ryoken_ twisted and fired its remaining lasers. The bolts gored the _Assassin's_ thin armor and torched the missiles. A fiery explosion split the _Assassin's_ torso. It crashed to the ground, and the mechwarrior wasted little time to climb out of the cockpit. Battered, the _Ryoken_ raised its remaining arm in a victory lap.

"Well!" Caelia threw a mocking stare at Trystan. "Lucky you didn't bet. You would've lost a lot."

"I may win something more valuable than money," Trystan replied. "Go collect your prize. I have to call Mom."

"Huh?" Caelia looked at her brother in utter confusion, but decided to let it go.

Trystan drew her personal comset and punched the code to reach Maria. "Mom? Trystan. Remember the Irish boy we met for interview a month ago? Yeah, yeah, the one you never called back. You may want to reconsider your decision…"


	24. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER 23**

 **Author's Note** : The following sequence was not in the original script. **The Colonel** did so much as to review, make suggestions, and ultimately _interfere_ with the plotline. I love making crossover with other people's universe (but it doesn't mean anybody can start throwing stuffs at me… I only do this for close friends, and **The Colonel** is much more than that). So hopefully the cameo of his unit will "turn the heat up".

 **Review Corner**

 **The Colonel** and **Ulquiorra9000** : That's why we don't judge a cover by the book :LOL:

* * *

 _ **Brit's Dinner,  
**_ _ **Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**_ _ **Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**_ _ **February 4, 3063**_

Despite Trystan lengthy babble about the Irish boy's exploit in the arena, Maria was not convinced. She preferred veteran mechwarriors that actually looked, behaved, and fought like veteran mechwarriors. She had little interest in a boy. But in her attempt to prepare Trystan for taking over the Blazing Aces, she tasked him to interview the boy regardless. She wanted to see how her young boy made judgment over potential recruits.

Trystan, on the other hand, was head over heels. He called the Irish boy and set up a meeting in the lounge. Unfortunately all places were booked for the next several days. Thor Shieldhall was out of the question. So Trystan decided to have a lunch interview, and asked Caelia to accompany him. But as he expected, her sister was more interested in betting than doing administrative work.

"Welcome to Brit's Diner!" a young waitress greeted Trystan and Ronan as they sat on a table next to the window. She looked like she was still in her teens, with jet-black hair that she tucked in a bun on top of her head. "My name is Hyolee and I will take care of you today. First time to Brit's Diner?"

"Aye, heh heh, free food everytime!" Ronan sniggered.

"That would be a 'no', Ma'am," Trystan chimed in, smiling in courtesy. "Just two glasses of water for a start."

"Coming right away!" the sprightly waitress took a note and rushed back to the kitchen.

"So, Mr. O'Reilly," Trystan said. "Tell me about yourself."

"Mee-self? Heh heh, I fight mechs. Money is good in the arena."

"As both of us can see," Trystan sighed. He started to regret his decision to consider Ronan as a potential recruit. "I mean, how long have you been a mechjock? What is your best accomplishment in the arena? Have you fight in the Class-6 arena? What is your best rank? How much is your best earning? Have you fought in other mech classes?"

"Aye, Sir, I fight mechs for a long time," Ronan blurted. His thick Irish brogue made Trystan wince. "I start as a runner at a small stable. I run odd jobs for mechjocks for 3 years. One of them teach me how to drive mechs in his spare time, say if he can fight in the arena, I can. He die by a _Bushwacker_. I get his _Assassin_ for cheap."

"How did you restore the _Assassin_?" Trystan became intrigued. "Where did you get money for it?"

"I save. Odd jobs give money."

"Wow, never guess that you know capital investment," Trystan replied with a smirk. Just like in the arena, the boy started to spark interest. "So do you fight often? Where did you usually fight? Blood Pits?"

"Aye Sir, Blood Pits. I win easy on Blood Pits. Money is good if I win. So I get easy money on Blood Pits, heh heh."

"Have you fought in better arenas?"

"No Sir, too much politics in big arenas. Steiner people own heavy and assault classes, Davion and Liao own the middle class, and bandits and mafia own the light class. It is hard to get into big arenas. I have to join factions, or stables that support factions. Blood Pits are easy. Opponents are easy, money is easy. No membership required. Just fight."

"Why don't you join a stable?"

"I am no good for stables, Sir."

"I find it hard to believe," Trystan said. He could understand if no stables wanted Ronan, but it was not a matter of his skill. It was a matter of how he presented himself. Nobody would take him seriously with his unkempt hair and outfit. Maria was still not convinced about his skill, and even Trystan felt hesitant to take him at times. But despite his appearance, the boy had some deep understanding about life at Solaris. As much as Trystan was repulsed by his appearance, he started to develop respect for him.

"Water for two," Hyolee the waitress arrived and interrupted the two mechwarriors. "Our special today is grilled Mewtwo served with balsamic herb sauce. If you have never had Mewtwo before, you've got to try it! Our balsamic herb sauce makes it extra crispy."

"Aye, lass! I love mee-self a Mewtwo!" Ronan jumped at the first opportunity.

"Make it two. And I will pay," Trystan added. "Don't offer him any more freebies."

"Certainly, Sir," Hyolee giggled and took notes. "Any appetizers while you wait?"

"No Ma'am, we have a lot of stuffs to go through."

"Two balsamic herb Mewtwo, coming right up!" Hyolee hopped toward the kitchen.

"So, Mr. O'Reilly, what prompted you to apply for a mercenary position?" Trystan continued. "Mercenary job is different from arena fighting. Here at Solaris arenas, every man is for himself. As a mercenary, we fight as a team. We take care of our team mates as well as ourselves. We follow the chain of command. A mediocre mechwarrior that follows the chain of command is better than an awesome mechjock that thinks only of himself, because that attitude will get his team mates killed. So, Mr. O'Reilly, can you follow the chain of command?"

"Aye, Sir, I run odd jobs for mechwarriors. Mechwarriors happy with me."

"Can you engage a long campaign far from home with little food and water, small chance of survival, diminishing ammunition, and be still loyal to the team?"

"Is there hot chicks in the team?"

"No, just ugly, cranky old men," Trystan scoffed. "This is a serious question, Mr. O'Reilly. Where does your loyalty lie when your life is on the line?"

"I don't know, Sir. I have never been in such situation. I guess we find out when it happens, heh heh."

"Not one I'd like to hear, but I appreciate your honesty," Trystan scribbled something on his notepad. "Is your battlemech operational?"

"No Sir, it is down for repair from the last fight in the arena."

"I actually saw that fight. Very impressive performance, despite your grossly outmatched battlemech."

"You see me fight? Bloody Kerensky, that is super! You like me fight?"

"You impressed me," Trystan nodded. "We may have an extra battlemech available, but I will have to consult the CO."

"Do I get the job?" Ronan shot up from his chair.

"I'm giving you a full recommendation, but the owner of the Blazing Aces will make the decision."

By this time Trystan's lance mates Blitzie and Linc arrived at the diner. They recognized Trystan and decided to ignore him, but upon seeing Ronan they turned and joined the table. Trystan could see their foul intention as they shot a derogatory stare at Ronan.

"Well well if it isn't the weary half of the Vandenbergs," Blitzie quipped. "How's life down under?"

"It's just a temporary job, until I get back to my mech," Trystan replied with scorn.

"I much prefer the other Vandenberg," Linc added. "At least she knows how to have fun!"

"Yeah, until you cheated on her," Trystan sneered bitterly.

"You know, Trystan, I thought you were cool when you busted up that cocky mechjock at Thor's Shieldhall," Linc said curtly amidst Blitzie's uproarious guffaw, "until I realized it was your sister! You may be a Vandenberg but everybody knows that your sister is doing the work for the Blazing Aces! You just cower under her shadow and steal her credit…"

"Do I hear Vandenberg?" suddenly another man joined the heated conversation. He was tall, taller than any of the Blazing Aces, wearing black military fatigue, a beret, and an eye patch covering his right eye. He munched on a corn cob pipe.

"Hey asshole, this is a private conversation…" Blitzie snapped.

"This is a public place," the man replied with equal gravity. "If you want a private conversation, take it to somewhere private."

The man did not assume a threatening posture but his presence was intimidating enough for Blitzie and Linc to seize their malice. Blitzie was a big man, and with Linc's help they should overpower the man easily. But the man radiated menace so much that the two Blazing Aces decided not to test him. They just shot a vile look at Trystan then left the diner.

"I thought I saw somebody familiar," the man said with much friendlier tone.

"Do I know you?" Trystan said, suspecting that his presence was more than just a coincidence. And then, he recognized him. "Oh no… I can't believe this… you're… you're…"

"Kristoffer Hasek Davion, 15 Avalon Hussars," the man introduced himself. "I have the fortune to meet Duke Gideon Braver Vandenberg shortly before the Clan Invasion. Great man."

"Uhm… Trystan… Vandenberg," he stammered as he shook the man's hand. "It's an honor to meet you, Sir. My sister is a big fan of yours."

"Is she? Then maybe we can have dinner together at Valhalla Club, tonight at 8."

"She would be delighted, Sir. I will ask my mother too, if that's OK with you."

"Maria? I don't know if she's still in mercenary business. Duke Gideon always talked very highly of his daughter, your mother. You should be proud of your lineage, young man."

"I am, Sir," Trystan replied sheepishly. If he could see his reflection in a mirror, he was certain that his face was as red as the grilled Mewtwo that just arrived on his table.

"Well, I see that your meal has arrived," Kristoffer said. "I have another proceeding to attend, so I will just grab a quick bite and leave. But we can talk in more detail tonight. Enjoy."

"Looking forward to it, Sir," Trystan nodded, half bowing. He waited until the CO of the 15th Avalon Hussars left, then looked at Ronan O'Reilly who waited patiently with a big smile on his face.

"What?" Trystan huffed.

"Sister?" the Irish boy sniggered. "Is she hot?"

"Don't do anything that will change my perception about you, Mr. O'Reilly," Trystan quickly returned to his common sense. "We will pretend that the last 10 minutes didn't happen. We will have lunch together, and then we will part ways. I will call you when the decision is made. And you will never, EVER, talk about my sister EVER again!"

"Aye, Sir, whatever you say, Sir," Ronan replied, then immediately started to devour his meal.

Trystan watched Ronan hammering on his food for a few seconds, then reached for his comset to call his sister. "Caelia, you won't believe what just happened…"


	25. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24**

 **Review Corner**

 **The Colonel** : It's my pleasure. Glad to be of your service

 **Ulquiorra9000** : If this story gets to 3070, I will consider bringing in your characters

* * *

 _ **Valhalla Club,  
**_ _ **Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**_ _ **Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**_ _ **February 4, 3063**_

Valhalla Club was the antithesis of Thor Shieldhall. An exclusive high-society club, it hosted the highest echelons of Solaris mechjocks, stable managers, politicians, reporters, gamblers, and occasionally commanding officers of renowned military units across the Inner Sphere. As such, the ambience was far removed from the equally famous Thor Shieldhall. Valhalla Club offered casual yet professional atmosphere. Personal exploits in the arenas were never the center of any conversation. Politics, money, and the ripple effect of one victory throughout Solaris game world were the regular topics in the club.

Being invited to the Valhalla Club gave Trystan a sense of honor and intimidation. Not only he was in the same room where Solaris legends spent some time, he was going to meet representatives from 15th Avalon Hussars, a century-old regiment in service. He tried to represent the Blazing Aces as well as he could, wearing formal suit and tie. Alas his choice of attire displaced him from the crowd, making him more nervous.

Caelia, on the other hand, was giddy all night. The chance to meet and have dinner with her military idol erased all inhibition in her mind. She wore an evening dress with very low cut, revealing much of her bust saved for the nipular region, complementary to Trystan's derpy attire. If their faces weren't alike (and they didn't come with their mother), one could easily mistake him as a _mayfly_ and her a _mechbunny_.

"Maria Vandenberg, it is nice to meet you in person," Colonel Kristoffer Hasek-Davion greeted the CO of the Blazing Aces in a tight embrace. "Your father spoke very highly of you. I am glad that his assessment was indeed correct."

"Colonel Hasek-Davion, the honor is ours," Maria replied. "Your reputation precedes you. I believe you have met my son Trystan. This is his twin sister Caelia."

" _OhmyGodIcan'tbelievethismynameisCaeliait'snicetomeetyouColonelI'mabigfanofyoursI'vebeenwaitingtomeetyoumyentirelife!_ " Caelia blabbered, spurting unintelligible words in record time. "I mean, wow… I am so waiting for this… this… you know, stuff…"

"She is trying to say she is excited to meet you, Colonel," Trystan added, couldn't pass the rare occasion to poke fun at his sister's speechlessness.

"Indeed," the Colonel replied with a smile. "You told me earlier. It is nice to meet you too, Miss."

"Shut up!" Caelia slapped Trystan's arm. Her face turned red like a ripe tomato. "I can speak for myself, _thankyouverymuch_!" She went back to Kristoffer. "Did you meet Grandpa Gideon before? What did he look like?"

"He was a gentleman and a scholar. You should be proud to carry his name."

"Oh I am, Sir, I am proud as a peacock to be a Vandenberg!"

"Good for you. Well this is Tyrine McCaig, formerly Star Captain of the Jade Falcon, now second-in-command of the 15th Avalon Hussars," Kristoffer introduced the woman that came along with him. She was about Trystan's height but packed a lot more muscles than the skinny young man. "She joined the 15th in 3054 as part of the Hussars Auxiliary, but now she is fully integrated in the 15th."

"A real Clan man?" Caelia's eyes widened. "I mean… woman… folk… whatever you call it? How do you find it living among _freebirths_? Have you beat the crap of the annoying Wolf Clan? Tell me tell me tell me!"

"I have not used _freebirth_ in a long time, as it is an offensive term for most of my teammates," Tyrine replied, seemingly unamused by Caelia's overenthusiasm. "And yes, I have fought a Wolf unit before. Three Wolf aerospace squadrons led by Star Captain Benten once challenged me for Antares. I led my binary to crush Benten's squadrons in the batchall, but he disgracefully fled. I looked forward to fight him again, and next time I will make sure I kill him."

"Wow, that is so cool!" Caelia muttered. "I don't like Wolf Clan either. Bunch of arrogant assholes."

"Sneaky bastards."

"Dickless cowards."

"Pardon my daughter, she is very enthusiastic about the 15th Avalon Hussars," Maria interjected before Caelia exploded into childish outburst. "So what is the 15th doing at Solaris?"

"We are assisting the 32nd Lyran Guards after being mauled by the 17th Arcturan Guards and some mercenary hordes," Kristoffer explained while running through the menu. "The Lyrans Guards lost 75-percent of their strength. The 15th will assist the 32nd until they rebuild themselves. In addition, the 15th also partake in the 'Sworn Allegiance' tournament here in Solaris."

"That's so hot! I hope we all get to stay and watch the tournament!" Caelia chimed eagerly.

"We'll leave as soon as our business here is done," Maria snapped. "There are some good contracts up for grab, and the rest of the Aces start feeling anxious about our future."

"We heard of the Blazing Aces exploit in Chaos March," Kristoffer said. "That is an impressive feat, considering House Liao has its hands dirty on that region. I can imagine you were surrounded by Liao's partisans. Winning that conflict is a testament of the hard work of Duke Gideon Vandenberg."

"We had to fight without proper intel, too," Trystan joined in. "First the Ingress Legions failed to notify us about enemy's battlemechs. We were informed that the opposition force was not battlemech strong, and we had to find out the hard way that the intel report was inaccurate."

"Then you have one hell of a team," Tyrine said. "And a commander in chief, too."

"Uhm…" Trystan hesitated to reply. He was still unsure where he stood regarding Chip Taylor. Part of him agreed with Tyrine that Chip did a tremendous job leading the Blazing Aces through a poorly-informed campaign with just one casualty. But the rest of him still believed that Chip didn't induce good interpersonal relationship. Added to that the fact that Chip spent most of his time sitting in the dropship while the rest of the team fought overwhelming forces…

"You don't sound too sure about your own CO," Kristoffer noticed Trystan's change of attitude.

"He's like that all the time," Caelia quipped. "He's not sure about _everything_."

"Who is your CO?" Tyrine interjected.

"Major Chip Taylor. He was a veteran of Tukayyid. Do you know him?"

"I don't know all Tukayyid vets," Kristoffer reclined in his chair. "What was his unit?"

Trystan could only trade baffled look with Maria and Caelia.

"It slips my mind at the moment," Maria tried to save her face. "I'm sure it was on his dossier."

"It doesn't matter," Kristoffer, noticing the sudden rise of tension among the Vandenbergs. "I'm sure you can ask him later. Let's not burden our night with minute details."

"Yah, yah, yah, tell me more!" Caelia chimed excitedly. "Do you like to work with mercenaries?"

"Depends," Kristoffer sighed. "I'm good with Morgan Kell. I don't like Wolfgang Hansen. I am not looking forward to sharing the battlefield with the Hansen's Roughriders, except when they are in my crosshair."

"There was a snippet about Hansen's Roughriders getting robbed blind by a girl from New St. Andrews," Tyrine added. "The story is unconfirmed, but I can see Wolfgang Hansen falls to a little girl from the periphery. He is arrogant and foolhardy and infatuated with his own image, sometimes with the cost of his own men."

"Arrogant asshole," Caelia grimaced.

"Exactly," Tyrine replied with a small smile.

"What about the Blazing Aces? Would you work with us?"

"I look forward to it," Kristoffer nodded.

The rest of the night went with laughter and stories about each other's experience in the battlefield. But Trystan kept thinking about the little conversation about Chip Taylor. Nobody seemed to know where Chip came from. Maria hired him when Trystan was too young to understand the mercenary business. Chip rarely talked about his past; his so-called 'Tukayyid background' was told by other mechwarriors. He never said he was a Tukayyid veteran. Maria's suggestion gave Trystan an idea to look into Chip's paperwork to see what kind of background – or secrets – Chip had been hiding.

The problem was he didn't know where Maria put those files, if they ever existed.

"Well this is a most entertaining evening," Kristoffer said at the end of the dinner. "I appreciate the company of the Blazing Aces. Like Caelia suggested, perhaps we can work together in the future."

"We would definitely look forward to it," Maria replied. "If you think of outsourcing, I'd greatly appreciate it if you keep us in mind."

"It's an honor, Sir, Ma'am," Trystan offered his hand for a handshake.

"Take care, young Vandenberg," Kristoffer replied. "I'd love to see you in the battlefield."

"Wait a minute, the night is young," Caelia interjected. "Mom, can I stay with them for a little longer? I have something to show him."

"Well alright, you have nothing to do tomorrow anyway."

"Yeah! Nice!" Caelia yelped in ecstasy. "Colonel Hasek Davion, would you follow me to my quarter? I have something that might be of your interest… "

"Your quarter?" Trystan scowled. He turned to Maria. "What on earth is she thinking?"

Maria just shrugged and walked away.


	26. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER 25**

 **Review Corner** :

 **The Colonel** : Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha …

* * *

 _ **Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**_ _ **Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**_ _ **February 5, 3063**_

The night crept slowly as Trystan couldn't sleep. The small conversation about Chip Taylor had been gnawing at his mind since the dinner with the 15th Avalon Hussars. He didn't know why he took Kristoffer's note very seriously. What was it about his CO that bothered him so much? Was it because Chip dispossessed him at Dustball? Was it because Chip employed tactics and strategies that were different from his ideal? Or was it because he, a Vandenberg, the descendant of the founder of the Blazing Aces, couldn't wait to take command of the Blazing Aces but Chip stood in his way?

And of course it didn't help that he shared a thin wall with Caelia. Here he was lying on his bed, tossing and turning, trying to find resolution for his recurrent animosity toward Chip, and all he could hear was his sister's moans and cries in the heat of passion. He hadn't notice her having that kind of fun since he told her about Linc's infidelity, and the thought of her going back with Linc was repulsive. Or perhaps it was not even Linc with her. Blitzie? Humberto? Any of the new guys? Ronan O'Reilly?

Couldn't stand the torture any longer, Trystan left his room and walked around the camp. The Blazing Aces rented an old barrack in the outskirt of Solaris City, far from the noise of the game world. Everybody was seemingly asleep, and Trystan started to enjoy the quiet atmosphere of the barrack until he noticed a few team mates conversing in the back yard. He turned around to avoid them but some of them had already spotted him.

"Hey, it's the weary half of the Vandenberg twins," Linc's voice broke through the quiet night. "Come here, come here! Join the club. Weather the storm. Wait out until your sister is finished."

Trystan awkwardly walked toward the group, completely flustered but the fact that Linc was out here all knowing about Caelia's bed-time 'activity'. So were Blitzie, Humberto, and another woman he had never seen before. She was in mid-forties but in really good shape, evident from her musculature behind her spandex suits and pants.

"Uhm… you guys are disturbed too?" Trystan clumsily asked as he approached the group.

"Hell yeah, I wanna sleep!" Blitzie huffed. The stench of whiskey reeked from his mouth. "This is Latoya, a new member," he referred to the middle-aged woman. "She was an old acquaintance of Chip. He brought her in to join the Blazing Aces. Latoya this is Trystan Vandenberg, one of the children of our owner Maria. That practically makes him future owner, or whatever it is you wanna call him."

"Pleasure to meet you Trystan," the woman offered a handshake.

"Likewise, Ma'am," Trystan replied. "So you know Chip for a while?"

"From another time in our lives," Latoya slipped a cigarette between her lips. "Oh, we were young fools who believed in the teachings of Jerome Blake."

"Blake? As in ComStar?" Trystan's eyes widened. "So is that true that Chip was in…"

"What?" suddenly Chip's voice thundered from behind him. "I was in what?"

"Uhm… we were just wondering…" Trytan stammered. "We were wondering if you were…"

"Are you checking on my background, Vandenberg?" Chip boomed as he walked straight at Trystan. "Do you think I made up a story about Tukayyid?"

"Come on Chip, we're just having a friendly conversation," Latoya defused the situation. She lit up her cigarette and puffed a big plume of smoke. "Come on in, join us. Why don't you tell our story about Tukayyid to entertain these kids."

"Yes, Boss, here we are now, entertain us," Linc added lightheartedly. "Demystify that Tukayyid myth of yours once and for all."

Chip looked at each other's face, paying extra attention to Trystan, trying to gauge his reaction. "It's none of your goddamn business you sonsofbitches!" he grunted and slipped into the darkness.

"Oh, come on Chief, be a good sport!" Blitzie moaned. "What's up with sharing with teammates?"

"I guess _Jeffe_ is not proud of his past encounter," Humberto added.

"You have no idea what his past encounter does to him," Latoya stated as she puffed smoke.

"Then enlighten us," Linc said. "Maybe he did something he wasn't proud of, but who doesn't? Everybody did stupid things. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"He did all but stupid things," Latoya threw her cigarette butt to the ground and stomped on it. "I'll enlighten you kids when you grow up to be men." After saying that she left the group.

Regardless what Latoya said, Trystan was convinced that Chip was hiding something. Why should he be afraid to tell his story? After all they were brothers in arms. How could Trystan trust a man who hid his past from him?

"So much for that," Blitzie coughed. "I'm heading back."

"Me too," Linc snorted in response. "That's our CO, Trystan. We're being led by a man who doesn't share his background with us. We're gonna die in battle pretty soon."

Trystan walked back to his quarter even more distressed than before. Everything seemed to spiral down into uncertainty. Latoya seemed to be a mature figure who could bring stability into the young group, but even she wouldn't divulge the secret behind Chip's background. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that the time of the Blazing Aces would end sooner than everybody expected.

* * *

The warm sunray woke Trystan up in his bed. He didn't remember how he got there. He struggled to get up, feeling every bones ached, and trotted out of his quarter. He cursed as he realized he overslept through half of the morning, and most of the mechwarriors had left. He tried to find Maria when Caelia ran into him with an obvious hobble in her gait.

"Morning sunshine," she greeted him halfheartedly.

Trystan grabbed her arm. "Who was with you last night?"

"None of your business," Caelia yanked her arm.

"It is my business!" Trystan snapped. "Did you realize what you did to everybody?"

"No, because nobody woke up late except you!" Caelia sneered. "Chip brought the mechs out at 7 sharp, just like he always does. You're the only one who slept like a baby! You and Mom! Jeez, what happens to all the Vandenbergs in our family?"

"I couldn't sleep because of you!" Trystan winced. "Who did you pick up last night? I thought you were showing Colonel Hasek-Davion something?"

"Oh, I did show him some 'thing'," Caelia winked naughtily. "The baby's room."

"What?" Trystan scowled. "What baby?"

"You doofus," Caelia sighed in exasperation. "The _baby_ 's _room_."

It took a while for Trystan to finally understand what Caelia was inferring. "Oh, no… I can't believe you did that! What were you thinking? He's a commander of a renowned military unit!"

"So what? He's a man who appreciates all good things I have to offer, unlike our friend Linc…"

"What about Star Captain Tyrine? She finds out you bedded her CO, she's coming back to kill you!"

"Oh, she was there, she was there alright," Caelia smiled. "She was a feisty motherf…"

"Oh God, Caelia! You're disgusting!" Trystan buried his face in his palms. "I don't wanna hear it anymore! Where's Mom?"

"I don't know, I haven't seen her today," Caelia grinned from ear to ear, completely enjoying Trystan's reaction. "Check her room."

Trystan stormed through the corridors to find Maria's quarter. He barged into the room to find his mother still lying on the bed face down. It was rare for Maria to sleep in. She was a creature of habit that woke up at the break of dawn. Trystan made a mental note to hammer Caelia for what she did to her mother.

"Mom, sorry to wake you up but the hour is high," Trystan climbed her bed. "I'm late too so let's just get on with whatever it is you…"

He stopped when he touched his mother's arm. It was as cold as ice. His heart jumped to his throat. He hastily rolled his mother over, and he almost fainted upon seeing Maria's face, white as a ghost, with her eyes partly open but no sign of life.

"Mom?! Mom! MOM! MOM!" Trystan shook his mother violently, not exactly knowing what to do. But Maria's body thrashed like a rag doll, and Trystan's mind began to tunnel down to the bitter realization. "Caelia! CAELIA!"

"What?" Caelia stormed into the room. "What is going on? What happened to Mom?"

"Call the ambulance! Call the cops!" Trystan said breathlessly as he held her mother close. But deep inside his mind he knew there was no need to hurry. Nothing would make a difference.


	27. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER 26**

 **Review Corner**

 **The Colonel** : "Every story ever told can be broken down into three parts: the beginning, the middle … and TWISTS!" ~ R.L. Stine

 **Ulquiorra9000** : War is when politics fails. Without politics, there's no justification of war.

* * *

 _ **Indrahar Memorial Hospital, Kobe,  
**_ _ **Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**_ _ **Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**_ _ **February 5, 3063**_

Trystan never thought it would come so swift and so sudden. Nothing prepared him to face a turn of event as drastic as this one. Death was the norm, especially for soldiers for hire. But Maria was not even a mechwarrior. The previous night Trystan still spent some time talking to his mother about a lot of things, before she cut the conversation short, blaming on feeling tired. He had no idea that it could possibly the last time he talked to his mother.

Caelia was in a much worse state of mind. The last time she talked to her mother was at the end of the dinner. She couldn't even do anything. All she did was staring blankly with glassy eyes. She sat on the hospital chair, breathing raggedly. She grasped Trystan's arm until her knuckles turned white. She never made a sound barring her laborious breathings.

Upon hearing about Maria's condition, the rest of the Blazing Aces joined the Vandenberg's vigil at the hospital. But not even the support of the Blazing Aces could make Trystan burden any easier. He knew that they didn't really care about Maria. They were there because they were obligated to pay respect to their employer. Some of them might just be glad that Maria was gone. He knew that at least one of the Blazing Aces did not agree with the course where Maria took the Blazing Aces.

A doctor approached to update the Blazing Aces about Maria's condition, but the way he carried himself gave way the news long before his utterance of it.

"We did everything we could," the doctor said. "I'm sorry. There is nothing else to do."

"No… no… NO!" Caelia broke into a fit of rage, then succumbed into inconsolable cry. Latoya held her from behind while two new recruits restrained her arms. They had to force Caelia to sit before she hurt somebody.

"What happened?" Trystan said, trying to stay sane amidst the insufferable pain.

"She had a cardiac arrest when she was sleeping."

"Cardiac arrest? How? My mother was in the picture of health!"

"Our early prognosis can't determine the cause. We will conduct a more thorough examination, but if it's of any consolation, she did not feel anything."

"Consolation? How is it a consolation?" Trystan blurted in denial. "There is no consolation in death!"

"We all understand your grief," the doctor said gently. "Our grief counselor will contact you shortly."

"I don't need a grief counselor! I need my mother back!"

Chip and Blitzie restrained Trystan and held him from launching a tirade at the doctor. "I know it hurts, but you need to keep it together, Soldier! Nothing good comes out of throwing tantrum!"

"Let go of me!" Trystan yanked his arms off. "Don't tell me you know how I feel because you're not the one losing a mother!"

But Chip and Blitzie pulled him backward and forced him to sit. Trystan writhed and kicked his way but Linc and Humberto joined Chip and Blitzie, pinning him to the chair. It took him a few minutes to finally calm down, but he was still squirming in defiance, trying to barge in into the ICU.

"Blitzie get him home," Chip said. "Don't let him do things everybody will regret."

"I'm going to stay here," Trystan replied firmly. "I want to be with my mother for the last time."

"We will need release statements from immediate family," the doctor chimed in. "We will let him visit his mother after the nurses finish prepping her."

"Fine," Chip sighed. "Blitzie stay with Trystan. The rest will take Caelia home."

Caelia was too distressed to do anything, so Latoya and Humberto carried her to get out of the hospital. Chip gave Blitzie some final instructions then left with the rest. Blitzie stood in the corner but kept Trystan within his peripheral vision.

"I am sorry for the loss," the doctor said. "We should be ready prepping up your mother within a couple of hours. I would suggest that you go home to get some rest."

"I am not leaving until I see my mother," Trystan said with breaking voice.

"Very well, I will come again when we are ready," the doctor said then slipped back into the ICU.

Trystan didn't know what else to do. He just took a seat and buried his face in his palms. Excruciating pain and emptiness started to creep in, and it seemed there was no other choice but to cry his eyes out.

* * *

The face of Maria Vandenberg was calm and serene, as if she was sleeping. Her fingers were entwined on her chest, and her lips curled in a meek smirk. It was hard to believe that she was dead. But her face, as calm as it was, no longer showed a sign of liveliness. It was pale as a ghost, and cold as ice.

Trystan had cried until he couldn't cry anymore. First it was the pain driving him mad. He had never known his father; Maria and Caelia were all he had. Then anger seeped in. He felt his mother had cheated him from being a battle-hardened commander of the Blazing Aces. She left him long before he was ready. After that, confusion and fear. He had never made any major decision for the Blazing Aces. Maria dealt with the contract, Chip led him in the battlefield. What was he supposed to do, now that Maria was gone and Chip didn't give him any respect?

"Please Mom, come back," he sobbed upon the cold body of Maria. "I need you. Caelia needs you. Don't leave us alone. I'm scared, Mom! I don't know what to do without you!"

But soon he realized that he had to accept the reality. His mother was gone, and as the first in line for the command of the Blazing Aces, he had to prepare himself. He was no longer a kid. Ready or not, he was now the leader of the Blazing Aces. Ready or not he had to start acting like one.

The day was slipping away when Trystan exited the room. Tired and weary, he dragged his feet and weaved like a zombie. His eyes were swollen and watery. Blitzie came to support him and carried him away.

"I am sorry for your loss," some hospital clerk approached them. "We need some statements for the funeral arrangement…"

"Major Chip Taylor will arrange a military ceremony to honor Maria Vandenberg," Blitzie replied. "No statement is needed." He turned to Trystan. "Come on, buddy, let's deal with this the mechwarrior way."

He led Trystan to the car and drove straight to Thor Shieldhall. Trystan never solved his problem with alcohol but considering the circumstances he didn't object. He needed something to alleviate the pain, and since alcohol was the only thing available, then so be it.

"Welcome back to Thor Shieldhall," Emi the waitress greeted them. "I'm happy to see you again, but I am worried about that face. Something wrong, if you don't mind my asking?"

"My friend just lost his mother," Blitzie replied, "so he'll need something strong. Put it in my bill."

"Ow, I am so sorry," Emi backed down. "My condolences."

"You don't have to," Trystan said. "Blitzie…"

"Hey, I am your brother in arms," Blitzie replied. "I don't fancy your quirks nor your family but on the battlefield you are the closest family I have. We're bound by blood and by gunpowder." He turned to Emi. "St. Ives Baijiu for him, Timbiqui Dark for me."

"Thank you," Trystan forced a smile. "I can't believe she's gone. It's just yesterday we spent time talking about many things. I swear I can still smell her perfume lingering around me."

"I can't believe it either," Blitzie replied. "She still looked like a 20-something chick fresh from the academy. No disrespect, but she was cool. Everything doesn't make sense. I mean, the doctor said she died of cardiac arrest. Really, who died of cardiac arrest at middle age, unless something else happened?"

"What are you saying, Blitzie?" Trystan winced. "Somebody did something to my mother?"

"No, but that would be a possibility, wouldn't it? See how people that would benefit from your mother's demise."

"I can't think of one!" Trystan blurted. "My mother is the most kind-hearted and respectful person I've ever known!"

"Oh come on! Somebody is begrudgingly opposed to her plan to spend some time at Solaris."

"Chip?!" Trystan widened his eyes. "You believe Chip killed my mother?"

"I don't know, but it's not impossible, is it? Can you say otherwise?"

Trystan was too tired and too weak to process that information. It did sound plausible, but it would take a great deal of assholeness to kill an employer because of such disagreement. Trystan couldn't think about it. Her brain had been abused with fear, anger, and lack of sleep. He just had to keep it for himself and think about it later.

"Well let's not deal with it now," Blitzie said as Emi came with the bottles. He popped the cap of his Timbiqui Dark and raised the bottle. "To Maria Vandenberg," he proclaimed, "best leader ever. May she rest in peace."

"To Mom," Trystan responded by hoisting his baijiu bottle. "I love you forever."


	28. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER 27**

 _ **Solaris City, Solaris VII,  
**_ _ **Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,  
**_ _ **February 13, 3063**_

The 21 gun salvo marked the end of the military funeral for Maria Vandenberg. Her casket was rolled on the conveyor belt, inching slowly toward the furnace. The Blazing Aces mechwarriors lined up besides the conveyor belt to give one final tribute to their fallen leader, followed by a few military leaders that knew the Blazing Aces by reputation.

Trystan maintained his posture throughout the procession but his mind couldn't let go of Blitzie's comment about his mother's death. He didn't know many individuals who regarded Maria as a threat or an enemy, and he wondered who might benefit from her demise. Perhaps Emily Bourles still held a grudge against his mother because the Blazing Aces took the new battlemechs that had been claimed by the Ingress Legions. But to cross light years of systems and kill Maria just because of 4 battlemechs seemed too extreme.

Disoriented, he stole a glance at Chip Taylor at the opposite side of the conveyor belt and wondered if the CO of the Blazing Aces had his hands dirty in this matter. Maria hired Chip to share his knowledge and experience of conducting military missions, and he did a good job so far. He was not a good mentor and team builder by anybody's standard, but at least he kept most of the Blazing Aces alive through difficult campaigns.

However Chip didn't seem to share a common vision with Maria. Trystan understood why Maria wanted to move slowly. She didn't want him and his sister to get into a situation they couldn't handle. Chip leaned more toward the concept of 'baptism of fire', that warriors who didn't survive a difficult situation were not good enough for the Blazing Aces. It was a natural selection where only the strong survived.

But was it enough reason for Chip to kill Maria? Trystan doubted it. There were numerous instances in the history of mankind that the top leaders of a great military unit had different visions. Visionary differences had never been a reason for assassination. It was always greed, pride, envy, lust, and wrath that drove humans to commit the heinous crime. The question was: did Chip have it in him?

The answer lied in Chip's background, one that he religiously guarded from the rest of the team.

Soon the furnace door was lowered and the crowd dispersed. Trystan observed the expressions on the faces of his team mates, trying to find a clue as to who might be behind the death of his mother. But they all carried the same expression: uncertainty. What would become of them, now that Maria had gone? Trystan had never given it a thought, but now he realized that he was the owner of the Blazing Aces, along with Caelia, if she was up to it. His sister had shown only marginal interest in leading a mercenary unit. So everything was up to him now. He had to decide the future of the team.

"I am sorry for your loss," Colonel Kristoffer Hasek Davion approached him. "I wish I could do something to make things better. I can only give you this book in memory of your mother, and your good standing in our list of liaisons."

Kristoffer handed in a book to Trystan. The title was 'Tenants of Command and Leadership' by Alexander Kerensky.

"Thank you Colonel," Trystan said. "Your gesture is duly appreciated."

"Good luck in your next endeavor," Kristoffer gave him a quick salute before leaving.

Trystan was about to regroup with the rest of the Blazing Aces when a middle-aged man approached him. He wore a black jacket with a long cape that covered most of his body, but Trystan could see a law enforcement badge peeking under his coat.

"Mr. Vandenberg, my name is Captain Morton, SCPD," the man introduced himself. "This might not be the best time to talk about the nature of your mother's death, but I have to talk to you regarding the autopsy."

"Autopsy? Who authorized autopsy on my mother?" Trystan felt his throat twitched. "I did not sign any form for autopsy!"

"It is not within my jurisdiction, you have to ask the hospital for that fact," Captain Morton said as he opened an envelope and drew a bundle of medical report. "It says that the cause of death is cardiac arrest, caused by the inhibition of _cytochrome c oxidase_ enzyme in her blood. Such stated promoted _hemoglobin hypoxia_ which in turn stopped her heart from functioning."

"What does it mean?" Trystan grimaced.

"Cyanide poisoning," Captain Morton sighed. "Your mother is murdered."

Trystan had been toying with the idea of murder, but still Captain Morton's information hit him hard like a hammer. His knees buckled, and he had to find something to hold to stay standing. His breath became ragged and his eyes turned waterlogged. It took him a minute to get a grip at reality.

"Do you have a suspect?" he wheezed laboriously.

"At this point everybody is a suspect," Captain Morton handed in the report to him. "SCPD will conduct investigation upon this matter, but all members of the Blazing Aces must stay for examination."

"I will make sure our team will comply," Trystan said as he walked away to find Chip. He found his commander in chief talking to Latoya not far from the crematorium.

"Major, the SCPD just found out that my mother was murdered," Trystan blurted. "They will open a case against my mother's death. We have to stay at Solaris for the investigation."

"We are not citizens of Solaris, so we can leave anytime we want," Chip huffed halfheartedly.

"My mother is murdered!" Trystan sneered. The fact that Chip didn't take his mother's death seriously made him mad. "We are staying in Solaris until we find the murderer!"

"Your mother is dead!" Chip roared back. "She is not coming back to life, with or without police investigation! Now the Blazing Aces has been wasting time and talent by doing petty jobs at Solaris, while FedCom Civil War is brewing! We are mercenaries! I have signed a contract with Lyran Alliance to suppress an anti-Katherine rebellion at New Aragon. We are leaving in 20 hours! No one can keep us here, including the police!"

"What? A contract?" Trystan was completely dumbfounded. He was not prepared for the news that Chip had gone so far as to secure a contract without notifying him. Maria was the one to deal with contracts, so he assumed the role would pass down to him. "I am the owner of the Blazing Aces! I decide where to go! My mother hired you to lead the company on the battlefield, not to decide where to go and what to do!"

"What do you know about leading a mercenary unit, boy?" Chip snarled. "Nothing! You don't know shit! You just sucked the teats of the Blazing Aces while your mother picked easy campaigns tailored for your mediocre skill! You have no idea how to deal with real mercenary world! Those days are over! We are going to the FedCom Civil War! I'm taking the Blazing Aces to a real war, a place where mercenaries reap money for a lifetime, or die in glory! Who do you think the rest will follow? You?"

"Don't forget that I am the owner of the Blazing Aces! I will fire you…"

"You don't have the power to fire me! I am the ranking officer of the Blazing Aces!" Chip grimaced. "You are nothing but a rotten imp! I will not let you destroy the Blazing Aces! The only way you can take command of the Blazing Aces is to challenge me in a warrior's way, but until you prove yourself worthy of such, you carry my order just like everybody else!"

Trystan suddenly realized that he had lost the Blazing Aces. Part of Chip's tirade was true. He had been sitting comfortably under the protection of his mother for so long that he didn't know how to live in a real world. He had no idea where to find contracts. He didn't know how to manage supplies and logistics for the assets. He didn't know how to run a long campaign. He had been too cozy under the shadow of his mother, and now he regretted it that he didn't learn faster.

But even though he was not a capable leader at this point, the fact that he – and Caelia – owned the Blazing Aces remained true. The Blazing Aces, like other mercenary units in the Inner Sphere, was family-owned. It was founded by his grandfather, resurrected by his mother, and now it was his time to lead. He felt Chip robbed him, and it led him to believe that maybe Chip did more than just 'seizing the opportunities'. Maybe he did plan to take over the command of the Blazing Aces.

However, without hard evidence, he could not go anywhere with his conclusion.

"Did you have anything to do with my mother's death?" Trystan hissed.

"I did not kill her, if that's what you're asking," Chip said in disgust. "She hired me to take the Blazing Aces to glory, and that's the only thing I'm interested in. Now you can continue this stupidity yourself. I have enough recruits to make it to a company without you."

It would just be easier if Trystan quitted and found another unit. But the Blazing Aces was a legacy of his family. There was no way he would abandon his family's heirloom for somebody like Chip.

"Alright, but I want to bring my own recruit," Trystan said. "I interviewed a talented young boy and I think he can be a good one for the team."

"No," Chip huffed.

"No? I'm still the owner of the Blazing…"

"No more place. No extra food. No extra money. He comes, you go."

"Just listen to me…"

"The only way he comes with us is when you give up your place for him."

Trystan had enough of Chip's blatant robbery, but he didn't know how to get his place back. Chip gave him a way to unseat him, but Trystan wasn't sure if he could make use of it. Unarmed combat was not his forte. Chip had better skill and more experience in battlemech combat. Coupled with the fact that Chip's _Orion_ outweighed his _Thunderbolt_ by 10 tons, his chance in beating Chip in a duel was small at best.

"I'm sorry, Mom," he sighed heavily. "I lost the Blazing Aces, but I promise I'll get it back."


	29. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER 28**

 **Author's Note** : Apologies for the lack of update. I went on a 2-week vacation then got sidetracked with other projects. From this point on updates will be slow but steady. Expect at least 1 chapter per week.

* * *

 _ **Dropship**_ **Naruhina** _ **,  
**_ _ **New Aragon Orbit, Capellan March,  
**_ _ **Federated Commonwealth,  
**_ _ **May 5, 3063**_

Trystan stepped down the metal ladder from his mech. His _Thunderbolt_ was wrapped tightly in a metal cocoon known as drop pod. Every mech in the dropship was wrapped in a drop pod; a full company of them. The dropship crew told the Blazing Azes that as soon as the dropship reached the planet orbital distance, the bay doors would open and the mechs would be dropped. The armed engagement on the ground was so savage the dropship captain refused to land.

Trystan did not like the idea. During their fall, they were like sitting ducks. Even a small helicopter could hit them with a single well-placed salvo, destroy the landing mechanism or the rockets, and they would plummet to the ground like eggs. Splat. The techs told him that the armor of the pod was strong enough to withstand an alpha strike of a _Daishi_ , but Trystan still felt uneasy.

"Everything cool?" asked Caelia.

"Everything's fine. They need a little adjustment for the extra-long barrel of the Large Pulse, but it's settled now."

"Everything cool with you?" Caelia

"I've never jumped from orbit before." Trystan sighed. "I don't know what to expect."

"Me neither," Caelia replied nonchalantly.

"And you're not worried? How come this doesn't bother you?"

"Will it make you live longer?" she puffed. "What can you do by being worried?"

"You'll be fine, boy," Tim interrupted. "You'll hit the ground before you even notice."

"Yeah, if I'm not blasted off in the sky during the drop."

"All right, Aces, listen up!" Chip enterred the room and activated a 3-D holomap at the center. "We are 15 minutes away from the dropzone. Once we reach this sector, the bay doors will open and you will make a combat drop. ETA on the ground 20 minutes. You will land on this area. Make your ways to the Nav Point Zeta, 50 miles north-east from your position. Expect heavy resistance. Do not engage ground units; our computers have not been synced with friendlies so everything will appear as threat in your radar. I repeat: do not engage ground units! Go to Nav Point Zeta as quickly as you can. Lyran operatives will brief you once you reach the objective."

The reason the dropship captain refused to land was because of the heavy firefight between Lyran's 3rd FedCom RCT and Davion's 12th Vegan Rangers and 1st Aragon Borderers. Making combat drop right in the middle of this firefight, carrying order not to open fire on opposing force, was essentially suicide. Trystan didn't know what came to Chip's mind following this absurd decision.

But it was just another nonsense in Chip's string of strange behavior and poor leadership. His mother would never have allowed such dangerous stunt, and if he had power, he would stop this campaign. Unfortunately, at this moment, he had none of such authority. He was merely a grunt soldier, an employee of the Blazing Aces mercenary unit, even though he carried the name of Vandenberg.

"Dismissed! See you on the ground!" Chip ended the briefing. The mechwarriors scrambled out of the room and onto their mechs. He climbed up his mech, hopped into the cockpit, closed the canopy and strapped himself on the command chair. The computer ran through the initialization sequence. He puffed a labored breath as the computer announced the readiness of the mech.

"You asked why I wasn't worried," Caelia chimed in from his private link. "I was. I'm sure Tim was as well. Everybody who says he wasn't worried about combat drop is lying. But what would worry change? Nothing. It wouldn't add a minute to your life. So don't get it under your skin. We'll get through this."

"Chip makes us drop into a hot zone, with strict order not to open fire," Trystan sighed. "What does it sound like to you? Fight with our hands tied behind our backs. He's gonna make us killed."

"He has his reason," Caelia muttered.

"He's taking unnecessary risks. Mom wouldn't have gone this far."

"We don't have a choice. Mom's gone, and Chip's our commander."

"I should've fired him."

"Trystan, we've gone through this a lot of times," Caelia snarled. "You wanna challenge his decision? Why didn't you do it at Solaris? Why wait until now? We're on the advent of battle. You're a soldier and a team member. You're gonna get us killed if you don't follow order."

"You're right, I'm sorry," Trystan replied with a grunt. "I'll watch your back."

"I'll watch yours," Caelia said lightly. "See you on the flip side."

The dropship captain announced the countdown through PA, then the bay door opened. Trystan felt his stomach turned upside down. He could feel the entire pod shaking, dropping down in high speed. The sudden drop sequence from the dropship made the pod flying uncontrollably. The spiral movement of the pod and the heat from the burning pod as it entered the atmosphere were killing him. He could see through the gaps between the metal cocoon tongues of fire burning the pod. He groaned in frustration, but there was nothing he could do. His eyes blurred, his head was about to burst. His consciousness began to fade as the fiery metal cocoon spiraled down to the ground with increasing speed.

Ten minutes felt like a year, and suddenly Trystan felt the pod shuddered heavily, then slowed down and stabilized. His senses came back to normal. Then suddenly the entire pod shook hard as if it hit something. _This was it_ , Trystan thought. He had landed on New Aragon. He took some deep breaths to regain his consciousness, then pressed the start button. His Thunderbolt responded in a quick sequence; its senses came to life, weapons were in nominal condition and ready to fire. Trystan waited for another minute before the pod crumbled. His mech was freed, and he took quick glances at his surrounding, and what he saw outside is discouraging.

He was in the middle of a jungle, the trees were about ten times higher than his mech. Through the trees he could see bright tracers of cannons and lasers rose up to the sky, illuminating the dimly-lit jungle, shooting off the descending pods. Some of the pods exploded in the sky in blinding flashes. Burning debris of destroyed pods rain down like water drops, igniting the grassy soil and the tree trunks. Some pods were caught fire and slam to the ground in deafening explosions, setting on more fire. Some who made it to the ground were caught by streaks of missiles, lasers and cannons. Trystan checked the radar, but all he could see were red blotches. They were everywhere.

"Caelia! Caelia!" he screamed, trying to locate his sister.

The garbled transmission on his comlink was buried under thunderous explosions. He saw a _Sentinel,_ a new member of Blazing Aces he barely knew, emerged from the burning debris. All of sudden a _Blackjack_ sprung out of a tree, hurled a dozen of laser bolts to the _Sentinel_. It was caught by surprise as the lasers melted its armor and dismembered its body. The _Blackjack_ fired again, and the _Sentinel_ lost its leg. It fell to the ground, then caught on fire. The pilot got out of the _Sentinel_ with his hands on the air, but the _Blackjack_ shot the fallen mech mercilessly. It exploded as the lasers ignited the autocannon magazines.

Now the _Blackjack_ pointed the lasers towards his _Thunderbolt_ …


	30. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER 29**

 **Review Corner**

 **Ulquiorra9000** : So where do you think the name "New Aragon" came from? Lucky us the BTech developers didn't make the Fighting Urukhai come to New Aragon. Otherwise it would be Minas Tirith all over again.

 **The Colonel** : The Golden Rule of Soldier's Survival is "When in doubt, Shoot!" Chip's disregard of this gives a hint of what kind of leader he really is (so Trystan is right all along! Damn, there goes one plot!)

* * *

 _ **New Aragon, Capellan March,  
**_ _ **Federated Commonwealth,  
**_ _ **May 5, 3063**_

A quick glance at his radar gave Trystan an idea of what he was up against. It was a _Blackjack –C_ omnimech, with twin LB-10X cannons and a couple medium lasers. The _Blackjack_ tilted its torso and hurled its lasers with deadly accuracy. Trystan twisted his torso, and the beams struck his waist. Hot molten armor sprayed out from the wound and splattered on several trees behind him. Trystan winced and floored the pedal, bringing his mech running through the burning jungle. The _Blackhawk_ followed him in hot pursuit and fired its twin shotguns. The _Thunderbolt_ jerked. Seared armor whizzed to every direction as Trystan groaned in helpless agony.

"Chip, this is Trystan!" he called his commander. "A _Blackjack_ is locking on me! Permission to engage!"

But as expected, nobody answered his call. The _Blackjack_ stabbed the hapless _Thunderbolt_ with its lasers. The side armor became grotesquely mangled. The armor tracker bar dropped to yellow. But fortunately the continuous shooting and the hot ambient temperature brought the _Blackjack_ down. Steam hissed from all joints, and the pilots dumped half the coolant tank to bring the mech's temperature to manageable level.

"Caelia! Chip! Anybody!" Trystan hailed his teammates while punching his Thunderbolt to full speed. Cannons were still barking, lasers were still blazing and Trystan did not know where he was going, he just ran as fast as he could. Eruptions after eruptions rocked the ground. Blazing hulks scattered everywhere, and he didn't even know who was fighting. Trystan panted heavily. He floored the pedal, maneuvering through trees and burning mechs, ignoring everything insight. All he wanted was just get out of this hell.

Suddenly a stream of PPC splashed just inches in front of the _Thunderbolt_ 's nose, slamming into a tree and setting a bonfire. Trystan slowed down and inspected his radar. A _Warhammer_ locked its guns on him. It sent ten-pack missiles at him. Trystan gunned his engine, taking his _Thunderbolt_ to lunge forward. The missiles missed their target, taking a tight turn but 7 of them razed a tree down. The rest struck the _Thunderbolt_ at the back. It jerked forward, giving up 30 percent of rear armor, but no internal damage. Trystan slammed his pedal as hard as he could, but PPC and laser beams struck another tree right behind him, incinerating the log. Trystan changed direction, making a tight turn to the left as another stream of laser hit his left arm. He could smell vaporized armor from his cockpit. The _Warhammer_ smelled blood and maintained position on Trystan's rear so he couldn't return fire. Trystan groaned in frustration, running around to avoid swarm after swarm of missiles and energy blasts.

Suddenly the _Warhammer_ jerked forward. Its back torso was stabbed by a huge axe. An _Axeman_ drew its axe, stepped back, and launched a mighty overhead swing. It sliced the shoulder, piercing the armor and structure and breaching the _Warhammer's_ beloved PPC. The _Warhammer_ fought back, twisted its torso and rammed its attacker. The _Axeman_ jerked backward, but returned fire by spraying the _Warhammer_ with missiles at point blank range. All of them exploded on the _Warhammer's_ torso. Some of the missiles struck the wound, exploding between the cracks and pierced through the internal structure. The _Warhammer_ stepped back, stabilized itself from the impact and loss of mass, then pulled an alpha strike at the pinned _Axeman_. Multiple orange flashes glared as lasers and missiles speared the _Axeman_ 's torso. It bled oil, smoke and sparks, but it didn't give up. It buried the axe on the _Warhammer's_ chest. Five consecutive explosions erupted from the _Warhammer's_ magazines, ripping the whole torso apart. But the last swing was too much for the _Axeman_ beaten body. The arm breached itself off the body, leaving the _Axeman_ completely armless. It quickly lost oil pressure and went down on one knee.

Trystan didn't know where the _Axeman's_ allegiance lied. Was it a Steiner supporter he was supposed to support, or a Davion loyalist he was coming to suppress? The _Axeman_ didn't know about him either. What if the _Axeman_ was a Davion? Shoot it senseless, after it saved him from the _Warhammer_? Or let it go and violate the campaign's objective?

Trystan didn't want to find out. This campaign was absurd from the start, so he just took some step back, gave his salute as a sign of gratitude, then ran toward the other direction. The _Thunderbolt_ ran as fast as it could. He continued running until he reached a safe place, a lightly wooded hill, away from the onslaught. Smoke twirled from the burning area. Trystan took some deep breaths. He felt that it was a miracle that he was still standing there, alive, with just some minor damage on his mech. Well, not exactly minor. The torso bearing oil was leaking. Rear armor was shredded, and he would need a patch before he could go on a battle again.

Trystan heard his radio gurgling with noise. He punched the com link and a much too familiar voice blared through the speaker, "Blazing Aces, this is Major Chip Taylor. Respond if you are still alive."

"Trystan's here," he quickly respond.

"Where the hell have you been? What is your position?"

"I don't know, Major, some hill about 75 clicks from drop zone."

"I'm sending you my coordinate. Make your best speed to rendezvous."

"I'm on my way."

As soon as the transmission arrived, Trystan brought his _Thunderbolt_ to run again. Ten minutes later multiple blue dots appeared on the screen. Trystan sighed in relief. He inspected the other mechs. Tim's Malcolm X lost its left arm and left launcher. Archie's MJ lost its right arm and large laser. Humberto's _Phoenix Hawk_ only had minor scars, due to the fact that it was fast, agile, and piloted by a recon specialist. Chip's _Orion_ lost its autocannon. Caelia's Mighty Aphrodite was scratched up badly, but pretty much complete, just like his own _Thunderbolt_. Linc's Ingemar Johannson received some moderate damage, and so were two new members of Blazing Aces, a _Bushwacker_ and a _Dervish_. In contrast Blitzie's _Victor_ seemed like it hadn't been gone through anything.

"Blazing Aces, fall in," Chip continually sent messages through all frequencies. "Blazing Aces, fall in!"

"'Told you we get through this," Caelia chimed from personal frequency. "Not that bad, is it?"

"Yeah, well, for now," Trystan replied glumly. "What's tomorrow? Orbital bombardment?"

"Come on, don't be a sourpuss," Caelia said with her typical upbeat demeanor. "We survive. We live. Savor every moment, because it may be our last."

Trystan scoffed. There was some truth in Caelia's comment, and on any other day, he would completely agree with his sister. But not today. "I don't want this to be my last."

"Alright Aces, listen up!" Chip's voice drowned the chatter over the comlink. "We are about 70 clicks sourth of Nav Point Zeta. Lyran's Molehunters reported that the Vegan Rangers are setting up an ambush on the jungle, so we won't go straight. There is a small town about 40 kilometers bearing 097. We are going there, adding some 25 more kilometers. Davion loyalists may be waiting for us but I take that chance. We are not going back to the jungle. Understood?"

"Yes Sir!" everybody responded.

"Wedge formation, passive radar, radio silence, and stay with me!"

"Boss-man, we're still down 2 mechs," Linc said. "Are we gonna leave them?"

"I have been calling them out for the last hour. They didn't respond. Consider them total loss."

Trystan immediately held Chip accountable for losing 2 members before real fighting even began. But at this state, it was hard to see if his mind was completely cleared from his personal feelings. The survival had just begun, and like Caelia's said, he needed him to be a good soldier to live through it. Everybody needed him to be a good soldier to live through it.

"Here we go again!" Caelia chimed as she moved her _Griffin_ to form up on Chip. "See you on the flip side! I'll watch your back."

"I'll watch yours," Trystan replied halfheartedly before forming up with the rest of the team.


	31. Chapter 30

**CHAPTER 30**

 **Review Corner** :

 **The Colonel** : He is not a good leader, I think everybody is in agreement with it. The other things need to be proven in time (I can't say too much without blowing off the entire plot)

 **Ulquiorra9000** : Trystan is trying to find his place. His order is flawed, but he carries it anyway because that's what he believes a good soldier should do.

* * *

 _ **New Aragon, Capellan March,  
**_ _ **Federated Commonwealth,  
**_ _ **May 5, 3063**_

Darkness started to fall when the Blazing Aces reached the town, and under the dimming light it looked more and more like a ghost town. It had been largely abandoned, and most of the buildings were destroyed, leaving the town with eerie-looking concrete formations with no particular shape. The streets were covered with debris. Blackened metal wrecks scattered within and far beyond the city limit. Smoke still twirled from charred hulks.

"Spread out and scan for hostiles!" Chip ordered. "I want perimeter defense in 10 minutes!"

Trystan broke formation and dove deeper into the town. He ran active sensor and scampered around wreckages and ruins. He knew the risk of running active sensor: _if you can see the enemy, the enemy can see you_. It was one of the basic rules of sniping and stealth operations in battlemech warfare. But he had no choice. Visibility was extremely limited due to smoke. He just thought he could rely on the armor of his _Thunderbolt_ , as he did many times in past engagements. A 65-ton bruiser that carried more armor than some assault battlemechs.

But after 10 minutes of scurrying around the abandoned town, he was convinced the town was secure.

"This is Trystan, area is clean," he reported. "No contacts with hostiles."

"This is Caelia, we're in the clean," his sister's reply came in a few seconds away.

"Linc here, no hostiles. In fact, no friendlies either. We're alone in this town."

"This is Blitzie. I don't see anything."

Reports came in cascades, but the message was the same. The town was empty.

"Alright, Aces, listen up," Chip said. "Lyran's Molehunter reported that a Davion task force is on its way to this town. They believe this task force is to outflank the 3rd from the south. Now the 3rd FedCom Guard is getting its hands full with the Davionists on the north front. They can't divide their force to stop this incoming task force. We are the only one who can cover the Lyran's rear."

"How strong is this task force?" Latoya asked.

"A battalion at most, with some armor and aerospace support."

"That's 36 battlemechs, Sir," Trystan blurted. "We barely make it 10."

"I can count, Vandenberg!" Chip snapped. "We are badly outnumbered, but it doesn't mean we don't have advantages."

"So you have a strategy to use our advantages, then?" Caelia tuned in.

"Leave the brain work to me," Chip huffed briskly. "We'll stay here tonight. I want two sentries to watch for the Davions. The rest of you, catch some rest."

Chip made the 2 newest members of the Blazing Aces take the first watch. He took off with Latoya, and Trystan earnestly hoped that he planned something with her to make the best use of their 'advantages' against the Davion. Trystan gladly climbed down the cockpit and enjoyed some fresh air. He joined his sister and other teammates who had started a fire near a large wreck.

"One of these days I could have a shower," Caelia muttered as she filled her mug with coffee. "Want some?"

"Sure," Trystan poured some into his own mug. "Might be the last coffee of my life."

"Your negative energy may poison our last hours, Vandenberg," Blitzie quipped as he lit a cigarette. "Let us savor this last moment without your whining."

"I'm not whining! I'm stating the obvious!" Trystan was miffed by Blitzie's comment. "We're outnumbered 3 to 1. We'll get slaughtered like lambs and goats in _Eid al-Adha_. How come this is not bothering you?"

"And what exactly can you do to make it better?" Linc joined in. "Can you get us out of here? Of course not. You don't have a plan. You _never_ have a plan. And even if you do, you can't do it because we're going to go with Chip's plan. And you - as well as everybody else - know we're going down with Chip's plan. So why don't you find something enjoyable to do for one last time?" Linc shifted closer to Caelia. "And what about you?" he nudged Caelia's arm with a naughty look in his eyes. "We were good together. We still are. So why don't we go do it one last time before we all die tomorrow? I promise I'll give you that special 'thing' you liked so much."

"You know what, chump?" Caelia replied apathetically. "If this were my last night, I'd spend it with my brother. At least he talks to me instead of screwing another blonde."

" _Compadres_ , let's not talk like some sitting ducks waiting to get shot," Humberto tried to lighten up the mood. "Like Chip said, we still have advantages over the Davions. The fight will be hard but not impossible."

"I guess you're right," Trystan said sarcastically. "If Chip can pull a bunny out of his neurohelmet."

"He's a Tukayyid veteran," Archie said halfheartedly. "He survived the Clans. Surely he can survive this."

"Uhm, actually the Inner Sphere won Tukayyid," Trystan couldn't resist. "We didn't survive the Clans. We beat them up."

"Still, Davions are nothing like the Clans," Archie shot right up. He wasn't happy to be corrected.

"Yeah, if he were there," Blitzie puffed a big cloud of smoke. "There was no proof that he was ever at Comstar, let alone Tukayyid."

"What are you saying, _Ese_?" Humberto mused. "Chip is lying about his background?"

"So tell me, _Ese_ , you take him as a Tukayyid veteran all this time?" Linc sneered.

"You don't?"

"Have you met a real Tukayyid veteran? They don't act like him. I'm telling you, _Homie_ , he exaggerated his background, or maybe even fabricated it, especially the part about…"

"About what?" suddenly Chip's voice thundered through the place. "I'm fabricating what?"

"We're just talking nonsense, Sir," Blitzie smiled awkwardly. "You know, the kind of nonsense you're throwing before you go to bed…"

"If you have problem with me, you tell me in my face!" Chip hollered. "I never worked with cowards in my life, so don't start giving me one!"

"They were talking about your exploit at Tukayyid, Chief," Tim, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up. "And how it might help us survive against the Davions, should they come tomorrow."

"Traitorous sonofabitch!" Blitzie cursed under his breath, shooting a dirty look at Tim.

"You no-faith dumbasses! You're questioning my leadership?!" Chip started to scream. "Which one of you started this conversation? I'm gonna beat your ass!"

"Instead of violence in the advent of a hard fight, why don't you enlighten us?" Latoya interjected before the fracas become out of control. "Tell the story and put this doubt to rest for good."

"I don't have to do shit!" Chip grimaced. "Anybody who questions me will get a piece of me!"

"Come on Chip, be a good sport," Latoya wasn't intimidated. "We all like a good bedtime story. Come on, tell the story so they can go their way in peace… and never question you again."

Chip walked around and stared into each member's eyes, but there was not enough light to examine their expressions, so he just walked away from his team and took a place next to Latoya.

"We were idealistic noobs, Latoya and I, who didn't know exactly what we were doing," he started his story. "We joined the ComGuards to protect the Inner Sphere from hypocrites: the Successor States. I believed in Jerome Blake. I believed in the ComGuards as the military arm of ComStar. And I believed in the Inner Sphere.

"Then the Clans came. They called themselves the rightful heir of Terra, and called us barbarians. We? Barbarians? Turtle Bay was the witness that they were the true barbarians! So we enlisted ourselves to front the front line, hoping one day we were pitted against these barbarians born out of trash cans! And the day we long for finally arrived when we shipped for Tukayyid.

"We were part of ComGuards' 138 Division, reserved hiding in a trench across Brzo, waiting to ambush the Clans. The 13th Wolf Guards walked right into our ambush, unknowingly striding right past our crosshair. It was a textbook ambush, and we would have massacred the 13th Wolf Guards if not because of Natasha Kerensky and her protégés, Ranna and Phelan Shit, that traitor from the Inner Sphere. Whatever we did, they just wouldn't go down.

"I was in a _Blackjack_ trying to snipe Star Captain Ranna when a _Fenris_ cut my path. My finger was on the trigger but his PPC twisted my mech, deflecting my shot. Them, who prided themselves in a series of combat rules, willfully broke their own rule in the cusp of defeat. They were the barbarians, not us! I was trying to retaliate but my mech was shot bad, and I had little recollection of what happened next.

"Next time I knew I was in a stretcher with some girl from the Wolf Clan. Marissa, her name, a fine chick with great set of racks, and a 'bondswoman', whatever that meant. She said it was her 'bondholder' that shot me down, and he asked her to take care of the injured, including me. They should've let me die in my mech. There was no dignity in living by the captive's mercy. Several days later they left Tukayyid, and I returned to ComGuards only to find out that the 138th Division was disbanded. Thus ended my service with ComStar.

"Now if any of you sonsofbitches ever question me again, come to me and face me in a duel, Clan style. I'm gonna show you why I am the leader of the Blazing Aces and you are pecking my crumbs!"

Chip left briskly, and Latoya walked right next to the fire, looking at the faces of the Blazing Aces one by one. "Any other thing you want to know about your commander?" she said calmly. When nobody replied, she walked away from the fire, muttering, "You all got what you want to know. So do yourselves a favor: stuff this thing up your asses and fight your heart out, because if you die, it's not Chip's responsibility. It's yours."

Latoya left the group, and as soon as she disappeared, Linc shot up and mumbled, "Yeah, he's gonna get us all killed tomorrow. Now I'm gonna blow my load." He turned to Caelia. "Sure you don't wanna come with me? Let's end our lives with a bang."

"No thanks, I'm staying here," Caelia replied nonchalantly without taking her eyes off the fire.

"Suit yourself," Linc said, then left the group.

"What on heavens were you thinking when you hooked up with him?" Trystan mumbled softly, making sure nobody heard his comment. "He is… a bad human being."

Caelia answered with a smile. She drank all her coffee then rested her head on Trystan's shoulder. "I made mistakes. I was just a young girl crazy for affection. I thought he cared about me."

"Turns out all he cares about is his ego," Trystan sighed. "Don't get me wrong, he's a good mechwarrior. He knows his stuffs. But damn, Caelia, I can't stand him, I don't know how you can."

"That's the best judgment I've ever heard from you," Caelia chimed. "You start to sound like Mom."

"Yeah, I miss her," Trystan said, half whispering. "Why did Mom hire Linc anyway?"

"Hello? The thing you just said about him? A good mechwarrior? Knows his stuffs?"

"Do you think Mom made a mistake by hiring Chip?"

"Stuff it up your ass, Trystan. A mistake or not, Chip is all we have. It's not the time to bring it up again."

"Alright, alright," Trystan put his arms around Caelia's shoulder. "I love you, Sis. I'll watch your back."

"I'll watch yours," Caelia replied in a long yawn. "I really need some sleep."

"Sleep well," Trystan said and shifted to make Caelia sit more comfortably. As his sister drifted to sleep, he watched the sky and wondered if he could see the same stars tomorrow.


	32. Chapter 31

**CHAPTER 31**

 **Review Corner**

 **Ulquiorra9000** and **Chill92** : I like to balance the drama – action at 60 – 40. Too much drama would be boring and too much action would be mind-numbing.

 **The Colonel** : Comstar's fanaticism is modeled after Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. Fanaticism is always bad, no matter where it leans toward.

* * *

 _ **New Aragon, Capellan March,  
**_ _ **Federated Commonwealth,  
**_ _ **May 6, 3063**_

Trystan didn't know how long he was asleep. It was during Caelia's watch that his comset blared in rude volume, robbing him from his much-needed sleep. But he didn't have to pick up the call to know what was happening. Caelia wouldn't call his personal comset if it wasn't an emergency.

"Battlestations! To your mechs!" Chip hurled his orders. "Move it soldiers! Move move move!"

Trystan sprinted toward his _Thunderbolt_ and quickly ran the start up sequence. Multiple red blips appeared on the screen. He inspected his radar; two _Stealth-2D_ and two _Osiris_ battlemechs tiptoed toward the town at 2 kilometers away.

"Forward Recon team! Shut down your mechs!" Chip yelled through his comlink. "We are going to ambush them and kill them fast, before they can send signal to their main unit! Wait for my signal!"

Trystan positioned his mech behind a building wreck and powered down. The other Blazing Aces found similar cover, forming a virtual line among wreckages and ruins. Archie, Tim and the two new recruits spread out among buildings. Blitzie's _Victor_ hunkered down behind a smoking remain of a battlemech. Caelia, Humberto, Latoya, and Chip were nowhere to be seen.

The recon team marched closer, sweeping the area with their long-range radar. They closed in, 1 kilometer away from the town. They stopped and twisted their torsos to every direction. Trystan held his breath and prayed that the recon team did not have Beagle Probes. The recon team circled around, stopped moving, then started moving towards his direction, so they could probably see him too. They reached 800 meters from his position, and soon they would walk all over him.

"Not yet, Aces, let them come several more meters," Chip whispered on the comlink.

The Davion recon team kept coming, then stopped at some 350 meters. They swung their torso every which way like wolves sniffing the air, trying to find their prey. Trystan put his fingers ready on the triggers. His heart pounded hard; sweat ran down his face even before he fired his first salvo. The anticipation was killing him.

"Linc, jam their transmissions," Chip hissed.

The Davion recon team tiptoed toward the town then suddenly stopped, less than 200 meters away. They swung their torsos in frantic fashion. They started to realize that they were walking into a trap, and started backing up from the town.

"FIRE AT WILL! NOW!" Chip screamed.

All mechs powered up in unison. The recon team turned around and started running. Trystan brought his _Thunderbolt_ out of the wreckage and fired an alpha strike at an _Osiris_. His laser beams, combined with two lasers streaks from Humberto and another stream from the _Bushwacker_ , vaporized the _Osiris_ ' armor, digging deep into the myomer and titanium structures beneath. Hot molten armor splattered over a wide area; chunks of burning myomer and structures zipped in every direction. The engine caught fire, but was still intact. Trystan's depleted-uranium shells blasted the engine. Five consecutive explosions ripped the _Osiris_ ' lower torso and destroyed the gyros. The mech crashed down, and blew up in a huge fireball.

Chip and Blitzie ganged up on a _Stealth_ , which didn't stand much chance against the heavy and assault monsters. Lasers and missiles flew through the air, striking the medium mech in every direction. Molten armor dripped to the ground like blood. Missiles from the _Orion_ speared through the structure, igniting the stored missiles. Chain explosions consumed the mech into a fireball. Archie and Tim hit alpha strike on the other _Stealth_. Missiles ate up armor platings and thrust deep into the myomer. The medium mech came to a halt, but managed to return fire. Missiles struck Tim on the chest, pulling several cracks off his armor. Lasers stabbed MJ's leg. Archie retaliated with an alpha strike right to the center torso. Burning armor splashed like rain. The mech staggered hard, but still stood. A missile strike from the _Crusader_ finished it off.

Caelia and Linc attacked the last _Osiris_. Their laser managed to boil some armor out of the _Osiris_ ' leg. But the mech returns fire, two laser beam struck the _Griffin_ , vaporizing armor on the arm. Caelia brought her mech to swing around, and fired off her PPC with deadly precision. The _Osiris_ immediately caught fire. Linc lined up his autocannon and let loose a hail of armor-piercing shells. The _Osiris_ erupted in flames.

"Forward Recon team is destroyed. Pull back to town. Humberto, I want recon up to 3 clicks from town. Start off from the direction the Forward Recon team came."

" _Entendido, Jefe_!" Humberto replied and took off.

For a moment Trystan could take some deep breaths. The last engagement gave him a boost of confidence in Chip's leadership. The sound tactic he employed in destroying the enemy's Forward Recon team, and his overall vision about fighting the Davions, made it sound like the Blazing Aces would come out of this campaign alive. He recalled those many conversations with his mother about Chip's leadership. Perhaps she was right, perhaps Chip was the best person available for the Blazing Aces.

Five minutes later Humberto's voice crackled, "Heads up, _Compadres_. Davions are coming!"

Trystan set his enhanced vision scope to infrared. He counted two lances of _Wolfhound_ s, one lance of _Enfield_ , and one lance of _Enforcer III_ marched in wedge formation, escorted by Vedette tanks and Chaparral artillery units. It was not as bad as he originally thought, although the Arrow IV batteries were something to be taken seriously.

"Hold your position! Passive radar!" Chip started barking orders. "They don't know how strong we are so let them find out at point blank!"

The Davions were still at 1.5 kilometer from the town when suddenly Arrow missiles illuminated the dimly-lit morning. Three of them flew above Trystan's head and hammered the wreckages behind him. The explosions staggered the mechs. The Vedettes and the medium lances pressed forward under the protection of Arrow missiles, while the _Wolfhounds_ took a large swing to attack the Aces from the rear.

"Stand still! Stand still!" Chip screamed from the top of the lung. "Let them come!"

The Chaparrals continued to batter the buildings until most of the standing structures were destroyed. Trystan had to shift positions several times to avoid the Arrow batteries. But after 15 minutes of constant firing, the Chaparrals ran out of ammunition. They fell back while the _Enfields_ and _Enforcers_ pounced, diving straight into the Blazing Aces' defense.

"Passive radar! Take whatever pops at your radar! Fight them at point blank!" Chip hollered.

The _Enfields_ and _Enforcers_ strafed the buildings with laser and ballistics, forcing the Blazing Aces to cower under whatever structure they could find. Shells zipped left and right. Trystan gnashed his teeth under the pressure, holding his breath until one Davion popped up on his screen. It was an _Enfield_. Trystan slammed his foot on the pedal and lit up all laser cannons. A surge of heat washed into the cockpit, forcing him to gasp for air. All but one laser strands connected to to the _Enfield's_ limb, turning the armor into bubbling sludge, dripping like hot blood.

The _Enfield_ quickly returned fire, but its autocannon shells just went wild because the 50-ton mech lost balance. At less than 200 meters Trystan fired his own autocannon. The rocked back and forth, armor sizzling in every direction. One round hit its leg, burying itself deep into the myomer. The _Enfield_ lost balance, then stumble forward.

Trystan moved in to inflict more damage but two Vedettes moved in and took pot shots at him. Their amor-piercing shells pummeled his torso, already scarred and bruised form the combat drop, dangerously inching toward the internal structures. Trystan backed up his _Thunderbolt_ and twisted, but a _Wolfhound_ scored some well-placed salvo into the Thunderbolt's left torso, peeling off armor. The _Thunderbolt_ staggered by the impact, but stood tall as if asking for more punishment.

The _Enfield_ pulled itself up when Archie's _Thunderbolt_ came and shoved its feet at the _Enfield's_ head. Plexiglass and gristle burst as the _Enfield_ jerked backward. The _Wolfhound_ switched target and fired an alpha strike, incinerating Archie's _Thunderbolt_. Archie quickly turned around and fired his missiles at the _Wolfhound_. The missiles tore the _Wolfhound's_ arm, hanging on to the torso by a few strands of myomer.

Confident that Archie would finish the _Wolfhound_ , Trystan turned his attention to the Vedettes. His lasers eviscerated the hull of one Vedette, turning it into a flaming crate. The crews jumped out of the tank seconds before a massive explosion tore the tank apart from the inside. Trystan turned his the other Vedette, but before he could hammer the tank, it sank an unfortunate salvo into Archie's torso.

Archie's _Thunderbolt_ had reached combat loss grouping. The Vedette's salvo thrust deep into the engine. The shot stunned the _Thunderbolt_ , turning it into a metal monolith in the middle of the battle. As Archie fought to regain control, the _Wolfhound_ fired everything it had. Laser beams set the missile bins on fire. The _Thunderbolt_ erupted in a mighty fireball.

"NOOO…!" Trystan lamented. "We lost Archie! We lost Archie!"


	33. Chapter 32

**CHAPTER 32**

 **Review Corner** :

 **Ulqiorra9000** : Let's see how the boys and girls are doing as the battle progresses.

* * *

 _ **New Aragon, Capellan March,  
**_ _ **Federated Commonwealth,  
**_ _ **May 6, 3063**_

Trystan's call for Archie's demise sounded like a beacon. Tim, Archie's best friend, glanced disengaged an _Enforcer III_ to see his faithful companion flaming like a bonfire. He screams in agony, then sank several laser beams into the _Enforcer_. The lasers speared the torso and burn whatever left of the dying mech. It staggered as chain explosions tore its engine apart, then stumbled to the ground.

"Davion bastards! Eat lead, _beeyotches_!" Tim screamed as he pounced at 3 _Wolfhounds_.

"Tim! Disengage! NOW!" Chip yelled.

But Tim completely ignored his commander and went into berserk mode. The _Wolfhounds_ pumped their lasers, incinerating the _Crusader_. Burnt myomer twirls up along with smoke. But Tim sprayed one _Wolfhound_ with missiles. One missile struck the back of the head, half a dozen thrust deep into the rear torso, ripping the reactor apart. The rest land on the leg, peeling off segmented armor. The _Wolfhound_ rocked and jerked, then stumbled forward.

"Twins! Cover for Tim! Don't let him waste his mech!" Chip yelled.

Caelia disengaged her target and latched on a Wolfhound, tiptoeing unknowingly to snipe Tim's burning _Crusader_ She fired an alpha strike at the _Wolfhound_. Missiles cut deep marks on its leg, severing the armor plating and ripping up the myomer bundles. Her PPC torched the engine and fried the electronics. As the _Wolfhound_ lurched, Caelia pushed her mech forward and kicked the _Wolfhoun_ d right on the leg. It bent aside, not able to move any further. The _Wolfhound_ twisted to bear the brunt of the _Griffin's_ firepower but instead Caelia leapt forward and drove her left fist into the _Wolfhound's_ head. Half of the _Wolfhound's_ head caved in, and the lanky light mech twisted and fell flat-faced.

Trystan lined up with the second _Wolhfound_ and mashed the autocannon trigger. The slugs shrieked through thin air and slammed into the left torso. The _Wolfhound_ staggered and twisted by the impact. The slugs pierced the armor and buried themselves on the internal structure just next to the engine. The left arm breached, flying away some 20 meters and slam into a building.

An _Enfield_ emerged from a pile of debris, took aim at the _Thunderbolt_ , but was rocked by a series of missiles. Caelia descended from the sky, guns blazing. The cockpit of the _Enfield_ cracked. The medium mech returned fire, firing its large-bored LB-10X autocannon. Caelia recoiled to avoid the sand-blasting munitions, but a few of them strafed its legs. Fragmented armor flew in every direction. Tim joined the fray and hurled his missiles at the _Enfield_. It jerked back and forth by the impact. Half of the missiles wiped the armor away. Caelia followed up with her own missiles. Three consecutive blasts ripped the _Enfield_ 's torso from inside. The right torso was destroyed, but the feisty Davion just refused to give up. It twisted right and fired its lasers from its intact arm at the _Crusader_. Tim winced as the lasers stripped Malcolm X to the bone. The last remaining structure on the torso was wiped away. Malcolm X staggers heavily, then fall to its back.

"DAMN! I'm outta here, man!" Tim cried out.

"Trystan, Tim's down! Need cover fire!" Caelia called for help.

"Coming!" Trystan raised his right hand and sprayed the _Wolfhound_ with pulse laser beams. The beams ripped its shoulder, exposing the arm joints. Trystan winced, turned his sluggish mech to the left, but the _Wolfhound_ managed to outflank him and took refuge behind wreckage.

"Come on come on! What took you so long? It's only 35 tons _ferrchrissake_!" Caelia quipped.

"Asshole!" Trystan cursed under his breath, then left the _Wolfhound_ to deal with later. He lined up his crosshair at the _Enfield_ , right torso blown apart, firing its remaining weapons at Caelia. As his sister ate the shots, Trystan let loose a barrage of laser and ballistics. His munitions crushed the _Enfield's_ internal structure, setting the mech on fire. Two laser strands speared its chest, cutting control lines from the cockpit to the actuators. The _Enfield_ keeled over, losing control of its own body. Caelia emptied her missile bins to punish the _Enfield_ on the chest. The torso was ripped apart. The _Enfield_ jerked behind and fell flat on its back.

Before the twins could marvel at their job well done, the second _Wolfhound_ returned and fired alpha strike to Trystan's back. Tongues of fire licked every direction as the lasers speared into the _Thunderbolt's_ gyro, incinerating gear oil. Trystan painfully turned his mech around.

"Get that sonofabitch off my back!" he cried out to his sister.

"Let him have it!" Caelia responded with a long, sharp particle streak. The PPC bolt cored the _Wolfhound_ in the center, burning its reactor, igniting massive chain reaction. The explosion shockwave almost threw the _Thunderbolt_ off its feet.

"Cleared!" Caelia chimed. "I'm out of missiles."

"My gyro's jammed," Trystan replied as he jiggled his joystick. "Can't twist anymore. Let's stick together. You crack enemy mechs from long distance, I'll take care of it when it gets close."

"Good plan, brother," Caelia replied halfheartedly.

Two _Enforcer IIIs_ and four Vedette swarmed the _Bushwacker_ and _Dervish_ , the Blazing Aces newest members. The _Bushwacker_ fired an alpha strike to one _Enforcer_. It staggered hard, twisting its torso to compensate the loss of mass. The other _Enforcer_ retaliated with double-laser salvo. The _Bushwacker_ ducked while the _Dervish_ teamed up with it hit it the first _Enforcer_ with everything they got. Multiple missile blasts rocked the valiant Davion, and lasers thrust deep into its bone. The _Enforcer_ was set ablaze, its body reeled down, but managed to keep standing.

The _Bushwacker_ and _Dervish_ were locking on to do coup de grace, when suddenly multiple armor-piercing shells hit the back of the _Dervish_. Its back was ripped apart, fragmented armor and gear fluids dripped to the ground like blood.

"What d'you wanna take on first?" Caelia said. "Mechs or tanks?"

"Mechs! I'll go left," Trystan replied as he steered his _Thunderbolt_ towards the _Enforcer_ on the left.

"I'll go right," Caelia said. "Watch out for stray shots from the tanks!"

"Gotcha covered," Trystan rushed toward the first _Enforcer_ , watching the burning mech lifting its UAC-10 to punish the _Dervish_. He fired his own autocannon, but his small caliber shells just dinged on the Enforcer's leg armor. The flying debris did not distract the _Enforcer_ as it sets its weapons on the disabled _Dervish_. Two laser bursts struck the _Dervish's_ back. Red fireball and black oily smoke engulfed the _Dervish_ instantly.

"Crap! I lost the _Dervish_!" Trystan grimaced as he punched his laser trigger. His medium laser triplets wiped off the remaining armor of the _Enforcer_. The Davion mech jerked behind; its body sizzled with steam, sparks and smoke. Trystan fired his last autocannon shots, and groaned painfully as his shells went wide, harmlessly struck a pile of debris behind the _Enforcer_.

The _Enforcer_ returned fire with its lasers strike. Two laser strands hit the _Thunderbord's_ left side. Its leg was ripped apart, almost to the point of being reduced to a bare titanium beam. The _Thunderbolt_ dropped to one knee, supporting its body with one hand.

"Die, Davion! Die!" Trystan winced bitterly and sprays the _Enforcer_ with his pulse lasers. The laser burst stabbed its armorless torso, setting the reactor on fire. Five quick consecutive explosions ripped the mech apart. Its body rocked back and forth, then crashed to the ground on fire.

Struggling to regain his footing, Trystan could only watch as the Vedettes scored hits after hits on the hapless _Bushwacker_. Its armor had been crunched into shredded pieces of metal. Fire ravaged its rear torso. The _Bushwacker_ turned around in desperation but two ballistic salvos struck it on its chest, ripping its torso open. The _Bushwacker_ fell down ablaze.

Trystan painfully fired all laser cannons. Heat surged into the cockpit in such a force his mouth gaped for air. His laser beams hit a Vedette on the broad side. The hull glowed bright red. Steam hissed from all part of its body. But the tank ignored his shot. It kept slugging the Bushwacker, reducing it into a heap of metal scrap. Trystan dumped his entire coolant, bringing down the temperature several notches, then fired again as soon as his medium lasers recycled. This time the tank caught fire, and the crew jumped off the flaming wagon.

However the remaining 3 Vedette continued to lob shells at the _Bushwacker_. One lucky shot landed right on the cockpit. The head exploded, the body stepped back several meters before falling flat on its back. The Vedette quickly regrouped and turned toward the _Thunderbolt_ in attack formation.

Trystan brought his _Thunderbolt_ to backpedal and let his pulse laser rip. The front armor of the center Vedette started to glow red, but the other 2 blasted their cannons. Ballistics cut a deep gash on the _Thunderbolt's_ leg. Red caution lamp glared; it lost structural integrity on the right leg. Trystan winced and pivoted, but the heat and the damage on its leg slowed down the _Thunderbolt_. The Vedettes smelled blood. They made a hard left turn, trying to flank the mech. Trystan swung his right arm and caught one with his pulse laser. Globules of molten armor splattered over a wide area, but the tank kept rolling.

Running out of option, Trystan dragged his feet and reversed direction. The tanks fired their cannons in unison, but he used his left arm as a shield. The armor-piercing shells pillaged and breached his left arm at the elbow. Trystan screamed as the neuro-signal jabbed his head, but he fought it, keeping his mech steady on its legs. The Vedettes broke formation but Trystan trained his lasers on one tank and fired his weapons in abandon. The Vedette's turret went up in flames and the hull rolled aimlessly.

But the last shot pushed the _Thunderbolt_ 's heat level past the shutdown threshold. With no more coolant to dump, Trystan knew he couldn't do anything but to pray that his armor would hold the onslaught. But just as the tank got ready to shoot him down, a Gauss slug came screaming in the air and hammered the turret of one tank. The turret came clean off the hull and hit the other Vedette.

"Boom, Baby!" Blitzie's voice came loud and clear in the comlink. "You owe me one, Vandenburg!"

"Thanks," Trystan sighed. "Remind me when we get out of here."

"Oh, we're getting out of here. The Davions are retreating."

"Really?" Trystan opened the hatch and climbed out of his scorching cockpit. The remaining Vedette, under the menacing shadow of a _Victor_ , turned back and joined the remaining Davionists to leave the town. There were not a lot of them left.

"We're still capable to score one or two more kills, Boss," Blitzie stated cockily. "Let's give chase and send as many of them to hell!"

"Negative, Blitzie, stand down," Chip replied. "We're not losing more assets than we already did."

"So what's next?" Linc joined in. "We can't hold this town."

"We're not. Lyran Molehunter has acknowledged that we stopped the Davion's flanking force. We are to regroup with the 3rd FedCom Guard. Let's move out, people!"


	34. Chapter 33

**CHAPTER 33**

 **Review Corner**

 **Ulquiorra9000** : Steiners are not bad. They just don't have a good leader.

* * *

 _ **New Aragon, Capellan March,  
**_ _ **Federated Commonwealth,  
**_ _ **May 7, 3063**_

The 3rd FedCom Guard's mechbays were crowded with damaged mechs. These battlemechs, most of which had lost their weapons, formed a long line outside the mechbays. The technicians worked double shifts, trying to fix the mechs as fast as possible, but for one mechs they finished, two damaged ones came. The war seemed bleak; there was no light on the eyes of the technicians. By the look of mech influx, they knew that the Lyrans were at the losing end of the fighting.

Since the hot drop at New Aragon it was the first time the Blazing Aces received news about the situation. Lyran forces were virtually overrun on all fronts by Davion loyalists. The flanking task force destroyed by the Blazing Aces was meant to strike the Lyrans at the heart, ending the fighting in a quick fashion. The Blazing Aces' victory bought the Lyrans another day but in the end it wouldn't matter. The Lyrans would still lose the war.

Trystan took a basketful of water and plunged his head into the basket. It was probably his last bucket of water, since the Davions had pushed through the Lyran's defense line. They were practically surrounded with no escape route.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Caelia came by and took a large swig of water. "We just had a good time with the Davions a few months ago at Solaris City. Who would've thought we'd die in the hands of Davions?"

"Good time?" Trystan sniggered, recalling the night of sleeplessness everybody had to endure because of Caelia's 'good time' with a few Davion's operatives.

"And here I thought I was the only one who always thinks about sex," Caelia replied, smiling. "But you know what I mean. The dinner, the talks, the camaraderie, you know? We always thought our next mission was going to be for the Davions."

"Yeah, Mom and I talked a little bit about that," Trystan sighed. "How did we end up on the opposite side?"

"Chip doesn't like Davions," Humberto suddenly arrived and joined in.

"Why is that, Humberto?" Trystan cocked his eyes. "Do you know this for a fact?"

"Fact? Everything about Chip is a myth. Did you believe his story about Tukayyid?"

"You didn't?" Caelia mused. It was rare that she got interested in talks like this, but somehow this one piqued her interests.

"Everybody can make up that story," Humberto sneered.

"So how do you know he doesn't like the Davions?" Trystan said. "What's his grudge against the Davions? And why do you believe it?"

"Something about Operation Guerrero," Humberto hissed. "ComStar had some MOU with the Free World League, so it is possible that he supported Operation Guerrero against FedCom."

"Victor's hands in Joshua Marik's double might flick the switch in the old man's head," Linc and Blitzie arrived, seemingly drawn by the conversation. "If he was a ComStar like he said he was, then he must've been pissed off by Victor's duplicity of Joshua Marik."

"Victor acted as individual," Caelia blurted. "You can't hate a faction because its leader is bad."

"Then explain why we are here," Linc snorted. "One day we threw ourselves into the hands of the Davions. Then one night everything turned inside out. Maria Vandenberg was murdered, then Chip took control of the Blazing Aces and undid everything she worked."

"What are you saying?" Trystan looked into Linc's eyes. This conversation brought him back to an old musing he worked so hard to forget. "Do you think Chip murdered my Mom?"

"That's always how it goes with Chip, isn't it? You don't know what's true. You can't separate facts from myths. But ask yourself a question: Who benefits most from your mother's death? Me? Blitzie? Humberto? We have no quarrels with them Davions. We're in for the money. Give us your riches and we'll grant you your wishes. But Chip hated Davions, and he knew your mother was about to bring the Blazing Aces to support Davion. I might be too far as to accuse Chip for murder, but he's the only one with an ulterior motive to do it."

"He's the one that constantly fought with your mother about the direction of the Blazing Aces, and the one who couldn't wait to leave Solaris," Blitzie added. "He was cool when we were at Chaos March but he turned into a cranky old geezer at Solaris. I guess he didn't like us talking to that Davion guy."

Trystan knew Linc and Blitzie were scums with no loyalty, but their reasoning actually made sense. He had been asking these questions himself since they left Solaris. The fact that Chip wouldn't wait for Solaris City PD to finish the murder investigation gave an impression that Chip didn't want anybody to know _something_. Added with the fact that Chip didn't want to work for Davion, and immediately took the Blazing Aces to support the Steiner days after Maria's death, he was almost sure that Chip had something to do with his mother's demise.

"Is anybody sure about this?" Caelia tried to bring logic into the spiraling conversation. "Or are we talking nonsense about what can or cannot be true?"

"Nobody knows what to expect from Chip, but his action speaks for him," Linc lit a cigarette and puffed a big plume of smoke. "What do you think of him, Caelia? Do you think he's hiding something?"

"I don't care. I only care that he led us to beat a Davion force three times our size."

"Losing 5 in the process," Blitzie tuned in. "That's 45 percent casualties, in just 3 days."

"I feel bad for the deceased but we're in death business. Latoya is right; we can't blame Chip for our death. We had our trainings. Our lives are our own responsibility."

"But if we lined up with the Davion, this wouldn't happen," Trystan took Linc's and Blitzie's side. "I will have words with Chip."

"Words? Trystan, wait!" Caelia dragged Trystan to the side. "We are in the middle of the battle. Do not screw up our chain of command!"

"Chip is going to lead us to death!" Trystan whispered, but he wasn't doing a good job containing his voice. "Look around, Caelia! The Steiners are beaten! Soon the Davions would be all over us! What are we doing here? We are supposed to be on the Davion side! Mom and Colonel Kristoffer had some sort of understanding that we, the Blazing Aces, were going to support the Davion! Then Mom got murdered and Chip took a completely different path! I will have to do something before none of us are left standing!"

"Then what? You take command of the Blazing Aces from Chip, then what? Defect to the Davions? The Steiners will massacre us before we even get out of this camp!"

"I will deal with that later! Now, I have to remove Chip from Blazing Aces chain of command!"

"That's mutiny, Trystan," Caelia gritted her teeth. "If you fail, you'll die!"

"Then help me make sure that I do not fail. Watch my back like you always do!"

"How? What case do you have against Chip?"

Trystan grabbed Caelia's arm. "He murdered Mom! Isn't that enough case for you?"

"You don't even know if it's the truth!" Caelia harshly yanked her arm free from Trystan's grip.

"I know it is the truth! Chip knows we are going to support the Davions. The only way he can prevent us from lining up with the Davion is by killing Mom!"

"You think he killed Mom because of his political preference? This is outrage, Trystan! Listen to yourself, you're not making sense at all!"

"Look, Chip once said that the only way I can take the Blazing Aces from him is in a Clan-style duel. The _Circle of Equal_."

"Oh really?" Caelia threw her arms in the air in desperation. "For a guy that hates the Clans, adopting their way of life seems to make perfect sense. Unbelievable. You are completely nuts!"

"Believe what you like; he said it to me," Trystan took a deep breath. "I think I'm ready for him."


	35. Chapter 34

**CHAPTER 34**

 **Review Corner**

 **The Colonel** : Of course he doesn't fight fair! He's a mercenary, what do you expect? :)

 **Ulquiorra9000** : Bred of War is a good book. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

 _ **New Aragon, Capellan March,  
**_ _ **Federated Commonwealth,  
**_ _ **May 7, 3063**_

When Trystan and Caelia arrived at the command tent, Chip and Latoya were talking to somebody in Lyran uniform. He could only guess that the man was the 'Lyran Molehunter', the Lyran operative that had been guiding the Blazing Aces since they arrived at New Aragon. He was shelling out orders while Chip and Lato

Trystan didn't know what Chip's deal with Latoya, but he hated the fact that she suddenly became the _de facto_ second-in-command of the Blazing Aces without anybody's consent. She was hired when Maria was still in control of the Blazing Aces, so he assumed his mother signed her contract. But after Maria was murdered, she acted like she shared the ownership of the Blazing Aces with Chip. She backed him up on every decision he made. And to think that these two put a greater distance from Trystan's eventual 'succession' of the Blazing Aces from his mother added more contempt toward Chip.

Trystan entered the tent and intentionally interrupted the meeting the Lyran operative.

"What is your problem, Vandenberg?" Chip roared.

"We have a priority matter to discuss, Sir," Trystan said, trying to keep composed, but couldn't help staggering under the wrath of his commander.

"I am having a priority matter to discuss!" Chip rose from his seat. He was a short stocky man, roughly half a foot shorter than Trystan, but his intensity made him feel like he was actually the bigger man. "You have nothing! Now go back to where you belong!"

"Is there a problem in your rank, Major?" the Lyran operative asked.

"Just a regular squabble with a disobedient kid," Chip snorted. "Treat it as such. Nothing to worry about."

"This is more than a regular squabbling," Trystan replied. "This matter regards the survival of the entire unit. I suggest we discuss this matter before receiving further instructions from Lyran Alliance."

"How dare you bring up this matter upon briefing by employer?" Chip hollered. "Have you no sense of priority, Boy?"

"It seems that you have a problem of authority, Major," the Lyran operative started walking out of the tent. "When you solve it, fetch me in my command vehicle."

"You may have lost our employer, Trystan," Latoya growled as the Lyran operative disappeared. "Congratulations, you put the Blazing Aces on MRBC blacklist."

"Perhaps it is not that bad losing our employer," Trystan retorted. "Lyran Alliance is losing New Aragon. Soon Davion loyalists will kill all Lyran associates. This is a chance to escape and fix our mistake of taking the Lyran's side."

"Mistake? Mistake, you said?" Chip snarled. "Lyran agreed to pay 50 percent higher than the Davions will ever offer us!"

"Fifty percent more money for no chance of survival, Sir! We won't live to collect that money!"

"You of little faith! We pull this off, people will line up to hire us! Your lack of business perspective holds the Blazing Aces back, just like your mother before you!"

"Are you saying my mother did not fit to lead the Blazing Aces?" Trystan grimaced. Chip's mentioning of his mother's leadership made him angry. "Is that why you killed her?"

"Watch your mouth, young boy!" Latoya joined in. "You are getting close to insubordination!"

"Maria's leadership made the Blazing Aces weak!" Chip hissed. "She should not have held the position to sign contract for the Blazing Aces! I had every reason to unseat her as the leader of the Blazing Aces! But I did NOT kill her!"

"But this is not just about business, is it, Sir?" Trystan replied. "I know you are not a supporter of Victor Steiner Davion. When my mother made a move to collaborate with the 15th Avalon Hussars, you made it your business to see that plan fail!"

"By killing your mother? Is that what you think this is? FedCom politics?" Chip screamed from the top of his lung. "We are mercenaries, you retarded sonofabitch! Mercenaries do NOT care about politics! Only money!"

Chip's stance actually made sense, and Trystan started to see a big hole in his argument. A mercenary's first and only loyalty was to the highest bidder. Politics should not be in the mind of a mercenary. Nevertheless it didn't automatically rule out Chip's involvement in Maria's death. He did say that Maria's leadership slowed down the Blazing Aces, and even though he denied killing Maria, he confessed he had intensions to usurp her.

In Trystan's eyes, it was mutinous enough.

"Major, I am going to challenge you for the command of the Blazing Aces," he said firmly.

"What are you, _trashborn_?" Latoya scoffed. "Do you hear yourself?"

"Once Major told me that the only way for me to regain command of the Blazing Aces was through a duel. You do remember that, Major? I will take that chance now."

"You just don't know when to stop, do you, Vandenberg?" Chip immediately stripped his shirt. "Alright! You wanna take command? You wanna see me fall? Come on! Take it yourself! Prove it you are better than me!"

Trystan started to strip his shirt but before he could even lift the bottom end Chip launched an uppercut at his abs. He felt his breaths left him. His vision turned grey. He tried to find his footing but the punch took him completely by surprise. He fell on his butt, staring blankly at Chip as if he didn't know what to do.

Chip jumped on the lanky young man and pinned him to the ground. Trystan only had a split second to access the situation before Chip swung his arms like a pair of club, pummeling his face. Trystan could only double up to cover his face under the assault. He took a glance at Caelia, hoping that she would jump in to get him out of trouble, but his sister just stood cross-armed in the distance.

 _Traitor!_ Trystan thought as he tried to find a chance to strike back at Chip. He was in this situation because Chip launched a 'blitzkrieg' before he was ready. That was a dishonorable tactic, or _dezgra_ by Clan's term, to attack without warning. He knew Chip would pull a stunt like this to gain the upper hand. He warned Caelia about it. Yet she didn't do anything to help him. He didn't understand that, after watching each other's back through impossible situations, she let him getting beaten up like this. What a sister.

Satisfied, Chip rose and grabbed Trystan by the shirt. He dragged the young mechwarrior and threw him at a table full of maps. The table disintegrated, and Trystan winced in pain as pieces of the table gouged his ribcage. He pulled himself up but Chip's boot dug deep into his stomach, taking away his wind. He crashed back down, flat on the ground, gasping for air. Chip took a broken piece from the table, heaved Trystan up to sit, then pressed the piece onto his neck. Trystan gagged, reaching back to get a grip on anything to ease the pain, but Chip pressed harder. Trystan gurgled, and his eyes rolled into his head as his world started to slip away.

"You have been a thorn in my flesh for far too long, Vandenberg!" Chip growled in Trystan's ear. "Maybe it's time to pluck this thorn for good!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Sir," Caelia, who had been watching the entire proceeding in silence, suddenly decided to speak up. "We are down 5 mechs already. Without him, our chance of survival greatly diminishes."

"I'd rather fight with 5 than take this traitorous piece of crap on my side!" Chip roared in response.

"I think you made your point across, Sir. My brother is inexperienced but he is not stupid. He needs this beatdown to open his eyes, but he will learn his place. I can guarantee that."

Chip stared at Caelia for a while and decided to trust her. He shoved Trystan to the floor and rose to collect his shirt. "Fall in when you're ready, Vandenberg! You're going double shift after this!"

Trystan lied down on the floor to collect himself, taking short agonizing gasp one after another, until his head stopped throbbing. He dragged himself up, and steadied himself when Caelia came to help. He gave her a dirty look as she tried to get him out of the tent.

"Where were you when I needed you?" he said with hoarse voice. "I told you to watch my back! Look what he did! How could you just stand when he cheated?"

Caelia responded with a nasty hook right on Trystan's temple. Trystan never expected that punch coming from his sister. His head felt like double in size. He staggered around the tent, holding his temple.

"You just failed a mutiny, Trystan!" Caelia sneered. "You should've died for what you did! You think I didn't watch your back? I just saved your ass!"

"But somebody has to step up! Chip is dragging everybody to his grave!" Trystan bemoaned.

"And what did you do? Did you save everybody? Did you make things better? Do you think Mom would be proud?" Caelia grabbed Trystan's jaw. "Tell me, Trystan! Would Mom be proud of what you did?"

Of course Trystan couldn't make that claim. He knew his mother would be disappointed in him. She brought him up to be a soldier first, a businessman second. She trained him to set an example of being a leader, and what he did was the opposite of being an example of a great leader.

"The Blazing Aces are ours, Caelia," Trystan sat down on a bench. "Mom had carved a path for us with the help of the 15th Avalon Hussars. Chip killed Mom and robbed us from our destiny."

"There is no proof that he did it."

"All clues point at him. Even Blitzie and Linc have the same vision as me. How can't you see it?"

"The only thing I see is a delirious man biting more than he can chew."

"I am not delirious!" Trystan rose from the bench. "Why isn't this bothering you in the slightest?"

"Look, Trystan, I love you, and I miss Mom, but we need each other to stay alive," Caelia turned around and looked at Trystan in the earnest. "We are a team fighting for survival. We need you, and you need everybody including Chip. You break up this team, you'll kill everybody. I am not letting you break up this team, not now when we need each other to get out of this mess. Next time you try something like this again, I'll kill you myself."


	36. Chapter 35

**CHAPTER 35**

 **Review Corner** :

 **Ulquiorra9000** : sometimes the worst enemy a unit must overcome is itself  
 **The Colonel** : I drew inspiration for Chip from various sources but GoT is not one of them.

* * *

 _ **New Aragon, Capellan March,  
**_ _ **Federated Commonwealth,  
**_ _ **May 8, 3063**_

It was still dark, but Trystan could see through his infrared heat tracker that the Davion war machines started populating the valley, some 2 kilometers away from the Steiner's base. As many as 10 heavy, 15 medium and several light mechs scattered around the marsh. The area was surprisingly open, very much different from the jungle they came from 50 kilometers behind. No trees, no waters, just Steiner and Davion loyalists.

"Head count, Vandenberg," Chip's voice came in loud and clear.

"Roughly a battalion of mixed forces, Sir," Trystan replied coldly. "A few Clan mechs in the mixture."

"The 3rd FedCom Guards have half a battalion of operational mechs," Chip said, "probably another company of worthless, badly damaged pieces of crap. I'm not gonna lie to you all, this battle is going to get ugly. Some of you may not see the end. But that doesn't mean you just hand your asses to the Davions. This is the battle that defines the Blazing Aces as a household name. We pull this off, we'll be rich for the rest of our lives!"

"So what's the plan, Boss-man?" Linc croaked halfheartedly. "Do you even have a plan against the overwhelming Davion force?"

"You cowards!" Chip growled. "See that _MadCat_ by the left wing? That's gotta be a commander, or an ace, or someone important but stupid enough to put a bullseye in his own forehead. Kill him, and Davion's formation will stagger. Blitzie, smoke that _MadCat_. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT engage anything else! Trystan, Caelia, cover fire for Blitzie. The rest of you, we'll clear the way for Blitzie. I want that _MadCat_ out in five minutes!"

Trystan saw Chip and Tim swung to the left while Latoya, Humberto, and Linc covered Blitzie's right flank. Blitzie's _Victor_ , the only assault mech in the Blazing Aces, marched pompously toward the marsh. Trystan positioned his mech right behind Chip's, protecting Blitzie's left flank. Caelia did the same in the right flank.

"I know you hold a grudge against Chip but he is our leader," Caelia chimed from a private frequency. "We need him to get us out of this hellhole. The team needs him to survive. Our lives depend on each other. Can I trust you to be a good soldier and a team member?"

Trystan had pondered long and hard about this situation. There was no doubt that the Davions would crush the Steiners in this world, if not in this battle, then the next. Chip was spreading false hope. In Trystan's mind the only way to save the Blazing Aces was to defect to the Davion's side, and this was the perfect time to do it. When the shooting started, the Steiners would be too busy to care about the Blazing Aces. He could just take the mercenary unit to a safe place and surrender to the Davions.

But apparently that way was blocked, and the only available path was through Davion's gauntlet. Trystan might be a coward, but he was no traitor. He would not leave his friends, let alone his twin sister, fighting for their lives without him.

"I'll watch your back, Sis," he confirmed his decision to fight to the bitter end. "I always do."

"Sucker," Caelia scoffed. "Watch Blitzie's back. He's our ticket to get out of here."

The Davions made the first move. Two companies of heavy and medium mechs advanced to attack the Steiner's left flank. The Steiners committed equal forces to blunt the Davion's attack. Lasers, cannon tracers, missiles and explosions illuminated the dawn like fireworks. The com link was full with mechwarriors chanting, yelling, and screaming around. Trystan inspected his radar, three _Wolfhounds_ and two _Enforcers_ were making their ways towards the Blazing Aces in the unoccupied field in the middle. They came within a kilometer away and closing in fast. The _Wolfhounds_ reached 600 meters from Trystan and started firing their lasers. Two beams struck his center torso. His Thunderbolt staggered lightly.

Four consecutive laser blasts melted the torso armor away. Warning sign glared through the cockpit, the armor tracker went red. Another laser blast hit him in the shoulder, sending his targeting reticule off focus. Trystan groaned, but quickly refocused and took an aim. The _Enforcers_ would soon bring their autocannons to bear, and it would be difficult to aim under ballistic rain.

Trystan held his breath, and as the _Wolfhounds_ broke into 500 meters, he fired his autocannon. The depleted-uranium slugs screamed through the air and slammed into a _Wolfhound's_ kneecap. It burst apart, the joint was displaced and the _Wolfhound_ was thrown off its feet. It tried to regain balance, but Trystan followed up with everything he had. His pulse laser tore the _Wolfhound_ armor apart, pushing it off balance. The _Wolfhound_ twisted and the knee buckled. It reeled to the ground.

Caelia saw this opportunity and jetted her _Griffin_ into the thick of the battle. Her PPC blasted the leg of an _Enforcer_ , tearing armor and myomer bundles. He presses the trigger and sprayed the _Enforcer_ with missiles, most of which slammed into the _Enforcer_ on its torso. The _Enforcer_ jerked behind, bubbling molten armor dripped like blood. It regained its footing and retaliated with two blue laser streaks, burning a ton of armor in Caelia's torso. Caelia answered with another missile volley, attacking the _Enforcer'_ s arm joint. The _Enforcer_ fired its autocannon, wrecking the heat sink on Caelia's right leg. Caelia cried out and hit the trigger once again, and the pure energy blast struck deep into the _Enforcer's_ structures, incinerating the engines. The _Enforcer_ burst into flame in a fiery explosion.

Trystan set his reticule to a _JaggerMech_ locked in a pitched battle with Humberto. The _Phoenix Hawk_ had lost one arm and the other one was about to burst apart. Trystan raised both arms and sent lasers to the _JaggerMech_. The _JaggerMech_ rocked sideways, its left twin-cannon arm caught fire by Trystan's laser bolts. It shifted target to the new threat, but Humberto stabbed its torso with his large laser. Again it jerked sideways, burning molten metals sagged. Trystan let loose two more laser bolts to its right torso, taking away the last remaining armor, then fired his autocannon. Blue flame burst from the impact, signaling critical hit.

" _Vete al Infierno_!" Humberto yelled as he fired his remaining lasers.

The _JaggerMech_ took several more hits. Its armor reached critical condition. Trystan aimed at its torso and fires. His autocannon slugs tore its chest open and buried themselves in the structure right above the fusion reactor. The _JaggerMech_ took two steps behind to regain control, then fired its lasers towards the _Thunderbolt_. The blue streams of energy struck the _Thunderbolt_ on the upper left leg, wiping armor off and exposing myomer and titanium structures. Trystan staggered, but managed to retaliate with his medium lasers. Two beams struck the torso, extending the gap and exposing the engine more. Trystan risked shut down and pounded the _JaggerMech's_ wrecked chest with his pulse laser. The _JaggerMech_ engulfed in a huge fireball.

The Steiners fought defensively, trying with all their might to keep the Davions at arm's length while conserving energy. Chip and Tim hurled their missiles at a _Marauder_. Some 30 missiles slammed into its torso, chewing up armor and stabbing myomers. Two missiles struck the left engine, causing it to spit tongues of flame. It rotated its legs and fired its lasers in defiance. Tim sidestepped it and let lose another salvo of missiles. The missiles thrust deep into the main engine, triggering chain reaction. Flaming body parts filled the air. Tim grinned but quickly winced as the _Marauder_ fired a particle bolt. Half of the _Crusader's_ left torso is gone. The _Marauder_ was about to fire again when a stream of autocannon slugs ripped its shoulder apart. Chip continued to punish the Marauder with its missiles. All but one landed on the torso, dangerously ate up the last remaining armor of the mech. The _Marauder_ staggered violently, twisted its torso and let lose twin blue bolts at the _Orion_. As the _Orion_ backpedaled, Tim returned fire with his missiles. A third of them went wild, but the remaining struck home . The _Marauder_ blasted in an inferno.

Trystan took an aim at a _Grasshopper_ locked in a battle with two Steiner _Clints_. He fired his autocannon and buried half a dozen slugs deep into the _Grasshopper's_ left torso. The slug cut off power lines to its left arm, making the left arm completely useless. It swung around to fire at Trystan with its remaining laser cannons, but Trystan was ready. A few pulse laser bolts cored the _Grasshopper_ in the torso, throwing it off balance. The _Clints_ used this opportunity to hurl well-placed salvos all along its body, tearing it up until it is nothing but a walking mechanized structure. One laser blast consumed its engine in flames, and the behemoth engulfed in a fireball.

The ferocity of the Blazing Aces cleared up a path toward the _Mad Cat_. Blitzie, who had been waiting impatiently to get some action, jumped at the first opportunity to take a shot at the _Mad Cat_. With his signature battlecry flooding the comlink, he fired his Gauss rifle, sending the nickel-ferrous slug across the field.


	37. Chapter 36

**CHAPTER 36**

 _ **New Aragon, Capellan March,  
**_ _ **Federated Commonwealth,  
**_ _ **May 8, 3063**_

The Gauss slug whizzed in the air and raked the _Mad Cat_ on the chest. Pieces of metal flew every which way. The Gauss slug pierced its armor like they are merely made from jelly. The _Mad Cat_ staggered heavily. It found its footing and returned fire, spraying missiles towards Tim's _Crusader_.

Tim twisted left and right as the missiles chewed his leg armor, now exposing myomer bundles. He tried hard to regain balance, but one laser strike from the _Mad Cat_ completely tore his leg off. Malcolm X slammed to the ground, face first. The canopy burst into twinkling shards of plexiglass.

"Tim's down! Tim's down!" Trystan pushed his mech forward to cover the mutilated _Crusader_.

"Tim get your ass moving!" Chip screamed.

"Don't worry about me, Chief! I'm dead"

"That's an order! Now MOVE!" His _Orion_ backpedalled to block a hole in the Blazing Aces defense. "Trystan go back to your position! Humberto, cover for Tim!"

" _Arriba_ , Jefe!" Humberto's _Phoenix Hawk_ jetted over several mechs and landed right next to the downed _Crusader_. "Davion _putas_ will die!"

Tim's _Crusader_ dragged its shattered body with its arms while Chip sprayed his missiles and lasers. Most of his missiles just hit the ground, raising a smoke screen. Several missiles slammed into Chip's torso but he stood fast to protect his fallen comrade.

Blitzie took aim at the _Mad Cat_ , then fires off. The Gauss slug pierced slammed into one of the missile racks. The huge box was raked, ending in a gigantic fireball that consumed half of the _Mad Cat's_ left torso. The _Mad Cat_ jerked behind. A _Centurion_ and a _Trebuchet_ stalked the _Victor_ and opened fire at him. Most of them struck the ground, sending tons of mud to the air. Trystan took aim at the _Centurion_ and fired his pulse laser at the same time when it blasted its autocannon. His laser ripped the left side of the _Centurion_ , forcing it to twist and missed Blitzie.

The _Trebuchet_ switched target and fired its missiles at Trystan. Trystan jerked his joystick to sidestep the attack but half of the missiles jerked his mech forward. His head hit the seat, causing a temporary blackout, but he quickly regained control. His _Thunderbolt_ lost 80 percent rear armor. One more attack from the rear could disable his mech. He turned to face the _Trebuchet_ and blasted his autocannon. High-explosive shells screamed through the air and shredded the armor of the _Trebuchet_. The lanky Davion absorbed the hit well and immediately traded laser fire with Trystan.

The _Mad Cat_ tried to support the _Trebuchet_ but Blitzie stopped it with another direct hit with his Gauss rifle. The nickel-ferrous slug wrecked its right torso, cutting off power line and sending its 20-pack missile launcher flying some 20 meters away. The omnimech returned fire but its lasers failed to pierce the _Victor's_ thick, unscathed front armor. Blitzie's evil laugh echoed through the comlink as the _Victor_ launched its missiles at the shredded armor on the _Mad Cat_. It jerked forward and lost balance then to the ground.

Meanwhile Tim dragged his mech away from the battlefield when autocannon shells exploded inches from his mech. More and more Davion mechs tried to finish him off. One _Enfield_ stabbed the _Crusader_ from behind, rocking its body in a massive shudder. The light armor was shredded; some engine parts and structures were exposed to the atmosphere. Tim kept on crawling when a streak of missiles slammed right into the gutted torso, incinerating the main engine. A series of internal explosions ripped the mech apart from inside, sending tons of burning parts everywhere.

Trystan was still engaging the _Trebuchet_ when he realized the gravity of Tim's situation. He disengaged the _Trebuchet_ and opened fire at the _Enfield_ , but the _Trebuchet_ launched its missiles at point blank range. Half a dozen missiles exploded on his torso, creating tremendous shudders all along the _Thunderbolt's_ body. Warning sign and smoke scrambled into the cockpit, armor tracker went red. Trystan gasped for air, but it was contaminated by vaporized armor and smoke, making him sick.

The _Enfield_ switched target and now latched on the _Thunderbolt_. Trystan pushed his joysticks as hard as he could. The _Thunderbolt_ crouched as laser bolts and autocannon slugs whizzed a mere centimeter above his head. He jerked his mech back up and launched an alpha strike at the _Trebuchet_. The medium mech exploded immediately. Wild splinters hit rained down on the _Enfield_ who stood too close to the _Trebuchet_ , depleting the torso armor.

The _Enfield_ regained balance and trained all weapons at the _Thunderbolt_ when the _Orion_ cut it off and blasted its autocannon from the _Enfield's_ rear flank. Burning shards splattered in every direction as the slugs bore into the engines. The _Enfield_ dropped to one knee. It twisted to return fire, but the _Orion_ poured its entire arsenal at the Davion. The _Enfield_ staggered then slumped to the ground.

"Blitzie, I want that _Mad Cat_ out! NOW!" Chip screamed through the comlink.

The _Victor_ was taking fire from all direction but Blitzie ignored it and recklessly fired his missiles and lasers at the _Mad Cat_. His shots connected to the _Mad Cat's_ torso, depleting armor but failed to do critical hits. The _Mad Cat_ returned fire, turning the _Victor's_ armor into hot bubbling goo. Blitzie let out a long rasping yell and blasted his Gauss gun. The engine exploded and the _Mad Cat_ engulfed in a bonfire.

Chip's prediction turned out to be accurate. The demise of the _Mad Cat_ broke the synergy of the Davions. Pressure from Steiner loyalists pulled a crack in the Davion formation, a gap wide enough for the Blazing Aces to slip through Davion ranks and make an escape.

"Sir, Davion line is breaking!" Trystan brought it up to Chip's attention. "This is our chance to survive, Sir!"

"We need to gain a little more ground for the Steiners!" Chip snarled. "Push the Davions back!"

"The Steiners are beaten, Sir! There's nothing we can do about it!" Trystand pleaded. "Please Sir, save the Blazing Aces! Take the chance to escape!"

"Boss-man, the Davions will figure out the crack very soon!" Linc added. "If it closes, we're all doomed with the Steiners! Get us out of here now!"

"Listen to reason, Chip!" Latoya tuned in. "This is the only chance! Take it or we won't see another day!"

"Alright, you cowards! Take the gap! Latoya, lead the way! All units, follow Latoya! Go go go!"

Latoya's _Caesar_ powered through the gap in full speed, firing PPC bolts and lasers at targets of opportunities. Blitzie followed suit, picking up what Latoya left out. Linc and Caelia were next. Humberto, with his speedy _Phoenix Hawk_ , sprinted and jumped over Linc and Caelia to place himself behind Blitzie.

Trystan was about to follow the rest of the Blazing Aces when he noticed that Tim's _Crusader_ was still crawling on the ground. He realized that Tim wouldn't be able to regroup with the rest of the team, and suddenly he felt very, very selfish.

"Tim! Punch out and hold on to my mech!" Trystan swung by Tim.

"Ejection lever is jammed!" Tim replied, much to Trystan's horror. "Latch is broken! Canopy is stuck! Get out of here Trystan!"

Trystan felt his throat clenched.

"Why the hell are you still here Vandenberg?" Chip came in. "You're the one that can't wait to leave! Go on! Get out of here!"

"Sir, Tim is stuck!" Trystan hesitated. "I can't leave him like this!"

"What do you care about Tim? You care only about yourself! Get out of here now!"

"Sir…"

"Dammit, Vandenberg! What is wrong with you?! Get the hell out of here!"

"But what about Tim?"

"I'll take care of Tim! Come on, get out!"


	38. Chapter 37

**CHAPTER 37**

 **Review Corner**

 **The Colonel** : That's what everybody thought. Unfortunately that was not the case.

* * *

 _ **New Aragon, Capellan March,  
**_ _ **Federated Commonwealth,  
**_ _ **May 8, 3063**_

It was hard for Trystan to make up his mind. On one hand he knew the Blazing Aces had no chance of survival if they stuck with the Lyrans, and he did what he did to make sure that the Blazing Aces did not suffer the same fate as his grandfather's Blazing Aces 12 years ago. He did what he did to save the unit his mother worked hard to rebuild.

But in doing so he had to leave one of his teammates behind. Granted, Tim was doomed. His _Crusader_ was damaged beyond saving. Even if they stayed behind to cover for him, he wouldn't have survived. Still, him being the trigger behind the exodus to leave Tim die alone didn't feel right. Chip, with his questionable leadership, showed considerable courage by staying behind. Trystan started to feel ashamed of himself.

So what should he do now? Leave or stay behind?

"Tim! Jerry-rig the seat catapult with the backup power! Let the seat hammer the canopy and crack the glass! Then crawl your way out!" Chip tried to give an exit for Tim.

"There is not enough time, Chief! I'm as good as dead!"

"I'll get you time! Get it to work!" Chip roared. A few Davion mechs realized his position and started moving in his direction. Chip stood his ground and hit the Davions with everything he got. His laser bolts stripped the armor of a _Bushwacker_. His missiles strafed a _Grasshopper_ , sending shredded armor flying in the air. The _Bushwacker_ retaliated with its own missiles. They slammed into the _Orion's_ torso, creating a huge cloud of vaporized armor. The _Orion_ staggered under the assault.

"Don't just stand there, Vandenberg!" Chip barked. "Either go away or give me a hand!"

Trystan felt like a complete idiot when he gunned his engine toward Chip. He thumbed his trigger, sending ballistics and laser bolts into the _Bushwacker_. A burst of burning metal illuminated the sky as the left torso was ripped apart. His laser streaks turned armor into molten slugs. His shells raked the _Bushwacker_ torso unopposed, destroying the ammunition feeders. The _Bushwacker_ jolted backward, hitting the rocky ground when it fell down.

The _Grasshoppper_ switched target and unleashed a laser hail at Trystan's _Thunderbolt_. The _Thunderbolt_ staggered hard when multiple blasts gouged its armor deep into the gyro, setting off minor fire. A set of missiles from the _Bushwacker_ pushed the _Thunderbolt_ back further away. Trystan's ears rang as the feedback signal from the neurohelmet tore his mind apart.

"It's no use, Chief!" Tim said exasperatedly. "Get the hell out of here! I'm initiating self-destruct sequence! Gonna take some of those Davion animals with me!"

"Tim! No!" Trystan felt his throat clenched. "Please, don't give up!"

"You wanna be a hero, Tim?" Chip hollered, but there was a glint of remorse in his voice.

"Reactor meltdown in 30 seconds! It's been a privilege to serve under you, Chief! Now haul ass!"

Trystan realized there was no hope for Tim at this point. His radar showed increasing heat coming from Tim's _Crusader_. He gathered himself and connected all power sources to his myomers, then snapped a quick salute to the downed _Crusader_. He heard a long beep, a sign that somebody got a hard lock on him. Seconds later four missiles blasted his side armor. Two more landed on his legs, but Trystan gunned his engine, taking his mech away from the heat of the battle.

Chip's _Orion_ followed Trystan's path but the _Grasshopper_ jumped over his head and blocked his exit route. Its laser streams staggered the _Orion_. Chip fired his alpha strikes at the _Grasshopper_ , breaching its left arm in a violent explosion. As the _Grasshopper_ used his right arm to support its body, Chip performed a jumping reverse spinning kick straight at the _Grasshopper_ torso, opening a bad gash with dangling power cables. The _Grasshopper_ was paralyzed, right in the middle of the battle.

Chip kept on moving, but once again the _Bushwacker_ held him back, firing its large-bored autocannon at the _Orion's_ back. It staggered back and forth, trying to regain balance. Chip was forced to turn around and fired an alpha strike with deadly precision. The _Bushwacker_ staggered violently, the missile launchers were blasted to bits. Burning shrapnel followed one mighty explosion that tore the _Bushwacker's_ rear torso apart.

Chip turned around and started jogging but Tim's _Crusader_ had reached meltdown. A blinding fireball expanded, swallowing the _Crusader_ , turning it into metal mist. The _Bushwacker_ stood too close to the explosion, and was mercilessly shoved by the shockwave. Its rear torso was left a charred hulk, swaying groggily as black plume of smoke billowed from the wrecked torso.

But Chip didn't get to safe distance either. The explosion ripped the _Orion's_ leg apart, stripping myomer bundles from the titanium structures. The _Orion_ sagged, dragging its leg in a vain attempt to escape the battlefield. But two _Osiris_ opportunists broke off engagement with Lyran mechs and started nipping at the _Orion_ with their lasers.

"Dammit, Vandenberg! Give me a hand!" Chip yelled exasperatedly.

Once again Trystan was thrust into similar situation, only this time, he wished he didn't have to do anything. Watching Chip in trouble, begging for his help, was actually quite satisfactory. He still remembered Chip dispossessing him for doing a rookie mistake. One might argue that he could've given up the entire team, and it was a hard lesson to learn, but giving his mech to another mechwarrior was demoralizing. Trystan was capable of learning without getting humiliated in front of the team.

And then there was the time when Chip was constantly at odds with his mother, from the directions for the Blazing Aces to the qualities of new recruits. The arguments went on for months, until Maria's untimely death, and Chip's 'amoral' acquisition of the Blazing Aces by undoing everything Maria had put together, and throwing the Blazing Aces to Lyran's side of the FedCom Civil War. He could understand Chip's reasoning, but the timing and the nature of Chip's maneuvers made him believe that Chip was behind his mother's death, even though he had not been able to prove it.

And just a few days ago, Chip tried to kill him after cheating in a Clan-style circle of equal. Granted, Trystan goaded him into the fight, but maybe he gave Chip a reason to kill him, thus eliminating the last string of Blazing Aces line of heirs. He knew it was a stupid move on his part, but that was the only thing he could do to save the Blazing Aces. Or so he thought.

So Trystan hesitated for a while. Should he help a comrade in trouble, or should he leave a criminal to justice? Chip was his commanding officer. But he was also an incompetent leader who stole the Blazing Aces from the Vandenberg family. He could do the right thing and assist Chip, or he could take back the Blazing Aces in a heinous act.

In the end it was his desire to avenge his mother that won the right to pull the trigger. He lined up his crosshair with the _Orion's_ shattered leg and unleashed a hail of ballistic and pulse laser strands. The _Orion's_ leg snapped under the assault, and the 75-ton mech stumbled down like a timber.

"You traitor! You filthy little shit!" Chip turned into a fiery tirade. "You think you can get away with this?"

"That's for my mother, you murderer!" Trystan spat.

"You idiot, I did not kill your mother!"

"Then tell her yourself and see if she believes you!" Trystan grimaced, watching a Davion _Osiris_ sank volleys after volleys of laser into the immobilized _Orion_. The _Orion_ engulfed in an inferno. Chip was defiant to the end, twisting left and right to get a shot at the _Osiris_. But one lucky shot from the _Osiris_ torched the remaining missiles inside the _Orion_. Half a dozen fireballs ripped the mech apart, ending in one gigantic blast that threw the _Osiris_ off its feet.

As the _Osiris_ struggled to get up, Trystan throttled up to maximum, taking his mech out of the battlefield. Anger, fear, shame, and a feeling of relief blended together. For a moment he thought he did his mother justice, until he realized that he was not different than Chip. He didn't know what to think of himself. For the moment, he just kept his mech running, away from the thick of the battle.


	39. Chapter 38

**CHAPTER 38**

 **Review Corner**

 **Ulquiorra9000** : It is fortunate you didn't bet with real money

* * *

 _ **New Aragon, Capellan March,  
**_ _ **Federated Commonwealth,  
**_ _ **May 8, 3063**_

Trystan brought his _Thunderbolt_ into the woods, masking his heat signature behind trees and shrubs. A couple _Wolfhounds_ gave chase for a while, until they reached 500 meters away from him. But when he got deeper into the woods, the _Wolhounds_ decided not to follow. The trees hampered their speed, and in close quarter combat they knew the _Thunderbolt_ had the upper hand. The two Davions decided to regroup with their units.

Trystan maintained his course for a while until his radar showed heat signatures of a few battlemechs. He quickly recognized Humberto's _Phoenix Hawk_ , Linc's _Centurion_ , Blitzie's _Victor_ , Latoya's _Caesar_ , and his sister's _Griffin_. He tapped into their frequency, but he hesitated to open communication. What was he supposed to tell them? _Chip is dead, and now I'm your leader?_

Succession was not always smooth. Half of the time succession of a leader involved blood and backstabbing. Trystan read a lot of history of mankind, but he never suspected that he would be in this situation. Granted, Chip's succession of Maria allegedly involved assassination. But two wrongs didn't make it right. Wouldn't it make Trystan as malevolent as Chip himself?

However, at this point it was beyond arguing. What had been done was done. Chip was dead, and Trystan had the Blazing Aces back. All he needed to do was to seize the moment, then get the Blazing Aces out of New Aragon.

"This is Trystan Vandenberg, hold your fire, I am regrouping," Trystan said through general frequency.

"Acknowledged," Latoya replied shortly. "Are you alone? Where are Chip and Tim?"

Trystan waited until he regrouped with the rest of the Blazing Aces before answering, "They didn't make it."

"What?" the comlink was suddenly flooded with commotion. "What do you mean they don't make it?"

"Tim's mech was busted by the Davions long before we made our run. His ejection system was jammed. He couldn't exit, so he self-destruct, taking a Davion _Bushwacker_ as he went down. Chip got swarmed by a _Grasshopper_ and two _Osirises_. He took down the _Grasshopper_ but couldn't get away from the _Osirises_."

Trystan paused a brief moment before saying, "So that makes me the leader of the Blazing Aces. I don't expect the succession to be this way, but we don't have such luxury. But I promise there will be no more losses. I will get us out of here, every one of us."

He made a slight move forward, but unexpectedly Latoya raised her left arm and aimed her PPC at his _Thunderbolt_. "Do you expect me to believe you and Chip couldn't handle a _Grasshopper_ and two _Osirises_? I have fought by Chip's side for many years. I know what he's capable of. What did exactly happen?"

Trystan didn't expect such aggression from Latoya, and he was completely mortified. "I told you, he got swarmed by a _Grasshopper_ and two _Osirises_. He didn't make it."

"What did you do? Did you assist him?"

"I uh…" Trystan stammered. "He asked me to… uhm, to regroup with you guys."

"Where were you? You were falling way behind. You needed 20 minutes to regroup with us!" Latoya raised her other hand, and Trystan's radar beeped, telling him that she had a hard lock on him. "Don't tell me you froze and watched him fight those Davion bastards!"

"I didn't! Look, you weren't there, I told you what happened!" Trystan tried to impose his leadership. "Chip told me to stay away while he helped Tim! It didn't work the way he wanted: Tim self-destructed, and he got swarmed by Davions! You can pull my battleROM to see that I am telling the truth!"

"So you just left him?"

"He told me to! I was following his direct order!"

"Does that mean you left him to die, Trystan?" Linc, in an unprecedented move, took Latoya's side and raised his autocannon.

"What? You? Last time I checked you were the one who hated Chip most!" Trystan roared. He always knew Linc couldn't be trusted, and he regretted his decision to believe that he, and Blitzie, were in the same league as him. "You hypocrite!"

"Nobody likes Chip but we don't want a traitor in our midst," Blitzie's still shiny _Victor_ now took Latoya's other side, pointing its mammoth Gauss rifle at Trystan. "You have been plotting a scheme to take control of the Blazing Aces for a long time, have you not? I think you just saw the opportunity and took advantage of it."

"Is that true, Trystan?" Latoya growled. "You've been plotting a mutiny?"

"Mutiny? No! I didn't do such thing!" He turned to his sister, who still hadn't taken a part in the new development. "Caelia, are you going to do something?"

"I told you not to do anything stupid, Trystan!" Caelia hissed. Her _Griffin_ still stood idle. "I told you to be a good soldier and a team member! Why can't you just do simple things?"

"I am trying to do the right thing!"

"The right thing? Look what you've done to yourself!"

"So you're not gonna watch my back?"

"Tell me how! Tell me how to get you out of this!" Caelia's voice started to break. "For God sake Trystan, tell me how to defend you from a charge of mutiny!"

"I did not kill him!" Trystan self-control crumbled. "He killed Mom! He deserved to die! But as much I wanted to put lead on his forehead, I did not do it! Davion mechs got him first!"

"Well ain't that peachy?" Latoya interjected. "So you _did_ want to kill Chip."

"Me and everybody else in the Blazing Aces, Latoya," Trystan grimaced. "Chip was not a good leader. You've been with him for a long time. You should know that."

"I didn't, _Hombre_ ," Humberto suddenly barked. "I didn't want to kill anybody. Leave me out of this."

"Me too," Linc added. "I hate Chip, but I don't want to kill him."

"He did good at Sarna March," Blitzie joined in. "He's not a good role model but I trust him in the battlefield. So did Maria. Why else your mother employed him, Trystan?"

"You know what I think, Trystan?" Latoya sneered. "You don't want to kill Chip because you think he killed your mother. You want to kill Chip because you want the Blazing Aces. This has nothing to do with revenge. This is all about money and fame, and family pride you think Chip has been robbing you from."

Trystan started to see where this was going.

"This is not what it looks like!" Trystan said. "I have all the evidences that Chip killed my mother to take the Blazing Aces in his direction! He is the one that conducted mutiny! You should've done this to him, not me! I did not kill Chip! Take my battleROM as a proof!"

"I have all the proof you need that Chip didn't kill your mother," Latoya spat bitterly. "That makes all your argument about revenge false. Your only motive is greed. You just can't wait to take command of the Blazing Aces, can you, Trystan?"

"I'm trying to get you all out of here!"

"We're all out of danger. Too bad for Tim, but he knew the risk. It was his choice to die. But Chip should've survived. You shouldn't have left him. Exit your mech, Trystan. We're taking you in."

"You can't do this to me! I am the acting commander of the Blazing Aces! You're the ones who should be executed for mutiny!"

"And who's doing the execution, Trystan? You?" Linc tuned in. "Humberto and Caelia are out. It's you against the three of us."

"Then I get you first!" Trystan put his crosshair on the _Centurion_ 's head.

"You fire, I'll turn you to pulp!" Blitzie raised the _Victor_ 's right hand, lining up the Gauss rifle with the _Thunderbolt's_ head. "You want it to end this way? Bring it on, Traitor! I have no remorse killing a Vandenberg!"

Trystan looked at Caelia, and the _Griffin_ made no move to join the standoff. "Caelia, please?"

"For the first time in your life, Trystan, do the _smart_ thing!" Caelia sighed. "Exit your mech!"

Without Caelia's backup, Trystan knew he had no chance to survive against Latoya, Linc, and Blitzie. Funny, though, that he always thought he was the one who backed Caelia up all this time. It turned out that she didn't need his help, but he needed hers. She was the one that kept him alive, despite her seemingly carefree and incompetent attitude.

So what now? Fight to the death? He would surely die a traitor's death. That was how Caelia would remember him: a traitor. Exit the mech? Latoya would execute him. His fate was sealed. He would die either way. But at least he would have a chance to talk to Caelia for one last time, to tell her that he was not a traitor, and no matter what happened, he loved her for all his heart. It was doubtful that she would believe him, but at least he could try.

With an exasperated sigh, Trystan shut down his _Thunderbolt_.


	40. Chapter 39

**CHAPTER 39**

 **Review Corner**

 **The Colonel** : Sorry, but I don't like easy life / victory / battle. I believe everybody has to earn their places, and at this time, Trystan does not deserve it. Being the grandson of the founder of the Blazing Aces doesn't mean he automatically becomes the leader of the Blazing Aces. He has to earn it.

 **Ulquiorra9000** : The question is answered in the following 2 chapters. Keep on rolling.

* * *

 _ **New Aragon, Capellan March,  
**_ _ **Federated Commonwealth,  
**_ _ **May 13, 3063**_

The last battle ended, unsurprisingly, with a win for the Davion loyalists. All Lyran loyalists were rounded and taken POW. The starports were closed for other activities except Davion affairs, and all communication hubs for Lyran Alliance were shut down, replaced by Federated Suns propaganda.

Unwilling to fall into the Davion's hands, the Blazing Aces set up a camp in the woods. They camouflaged their battlemechs with leaves and branches, and were forced to hunt for wild animals to survive. Linc tried to contact their dropship with his powerful electronics, but the Davions masked the entire planet with their signals. There was no chance of communication with outside world without getting traced by the Davions. Latoya had to pull some tricks to finally break through Davion's blockade and arrange pickup.

Trystan spent most of the time sitting on the ground with hands behind his back. Tired, hungry, dehydrated, and frustrated, he had quite some time to wonder why he was still alive. He thought he wouldn't survive a day after he surrendered, but it was 5 days later and nobody seemed to be interested in his life. Not even his own twin sister.

"You probably wonder why nobody kills you yet," Latoya said as she juggled her sidearm from her left hand to her right. "Under SLDF Military Act, mutiny is punishable by death. You know how much I want to put a lead in your brain. Unfortunately, we are all in a dire situation. Davions are hunting our heads."

"Then get in touch with Colonel Kristoffer Hasek Davion," Trystan replied. "They will pick us up."

Latoya sneered. "Don't insult my intelligence. The Colonel is your buddy. It's your last resort to get away with murder."

"Latoya, listen to me," Trystan pleaded. "Don't punish the Blazing Aces for what I did. Call Colonel Hasek Davion, then kill me, and tell him I didn't make it. He will still pick you up out of compassion for Caelia. But please, don't let your stubbornness bring the Blazing Aces down. Just survive this time. You can get glory and fame on your next contract."

"You think you're the only one with connection to the big guys, don't you, little boy?" Latoya shot a curt smile. "I know somebody too. I have arranged a pickup. In 48 hours we are all getting out of this hole. The only problem is my pickup requires a fee, so I am forced to trade you and your _Thunderbolt_ for a lift from this planet. That's the reason you're still alive."

"If you're so much want to kill me, then call Colonel Hasek Davion. You get out of here free and you get to kill me."

"And what about Caelia? She's gonna talk, and suddenly the Colonel will have our heads. Every single one of us. So we have to kill Caelia too. Would the Colonel still pick up the Blazing Aces without the Vandenbergs? I don't think so."

"You can trust Caelia."

"No Vandenberg is worthy a trust. I learnt it 5 days ago." Latoya turned around and walked away, just as Linc and Blitzie came in. "Understand that you being alive is only a matter of situation. If I don't think of the future of the Blazing Aces, I would have killed you."

As Latoya left, Linc and Blitzie crouched next to Trystan. He could see in their eyes that they would sling their vilest venom at him. He didn't care. Their insult wouldn't change anything. But something bothered him, something in their behavior did not make sense. This might be the last chance he could find out.

"So, Trystan, why the long face?" Blitzie said jovially. "In 2 days we're getting out of here. You should be happy, at least you get to get out alive."

"You probably won't see us anymore but that's another matter," Linc added. "You should know that I would take care of your sister. I will make her happy again, the way I made her happy before you and your crap interfered with our happy life."

"Why are you doing this, guys?" Trystan replied apathetically. "You guys hated Chip as much as I do. We talked about this before. We had a plan to purge him off the Blazing Aces. And now, after I pulled the trigger, you treated me as a traitor. Why? I don't understand."

"Technically you are, Trystan," Linc sniggered. "You killed our CO. That's called 'mutiny' in any military book."

"I am avenging my mother's death!"

"Chip was a fool but he was no murderer. All we did was to make you think that he was, then everything worked exactly as planned."

"What?!" Trystan thought his heart stopped beating. "What did you say?"

"He was a fool," Blitzie lit a cigarette and puffed a big plume of smoke. "A self-desecrating fool who will drag the Blazing Aces to the abyss. We have to get rid of him. But how? Kill him? Your mother will replace him with another impotent asshole."

"But you, you just can't wait to be the king of the Blazing Aces," Linc spoke with disgust. "You little trash with your super-inflated self-esteem, you think you know how to run a mercenary unit. Chip will kill us all, but you will bring the Blazing Aces to shame. And you know what, Boy? Shame is worse than death."

"So how do we get rid of Chip and you at the same time? Pretty easy. Get rid of your mother. You get rid of Chip out of greed and blind rage. And now we get rid of you because you're guilty of mutiny. Not even your honorable Colonel Hasek Davion could help you out of treachery. Then the Blazing Aces is left for us to reap."

It was at that time that Trystan realized what an ignorant chump he had been. He could have seen Blitzie's and Linc's ulterior motives long time ago, but he was too engrossed with Chip to realize that Chip was not the one he should worry about. Like Blitzie said, Chip was a fool, but he was a one-dimensional fool with no capability or desire to plot a plan as devious as this. Trystan pulled his trigger at the wrong target.

"You… you murdered my mother!" he growled, twisting and twitching to get out of his bondage with no effect. "You bastards! Traitors! You're not getting away with this! I will kill you all!"

"Listen to you," Linc flashed a derogatory smile at him. "You think you're doing the Blazing Aces good? You only think of yourself, just like Chip. You two pathetically fought to be the one that was best for the Blazing Aces. None of you was. The Blazing Aces suffered because of incompetent leader like Chip and mediocre crew with inflated ego like you. Getting rid of you two is the best thing we do for the Blazing Aces. We are the future of the Blazing Aces, not you!"

As maddening as it sounded, it was the truth. Trystan stopped struggling and wondered if he ever thought about what was best for the team. Why did he want to lead the Blazing Aces in the first place? Pride, because his grandfather founded the unit? Envy, because he coveted the power Chip had as the CO? Or wrath, because he thought Chip murdered his mother? Trystan didn't know anymore.

"Now enjoy the last two days with us," Blitzie finished his cigarette and walked away. "And for once in your lifetime, be grateful with what you have."

The two mechwarriors left him, and Trystan knew he only had little time to tell Caelia about Blitzie and Linc. He hadn't talked much to his sister since the incident, and he doubted that she would believe him, but he had to tell her. Blitzie and Linc might be planning to kill her too.

Trystan waited until Caelia came to his vicinity, then he called for her. She ignored him in the beginning, but at his insistence she came to him. Her eyes were full of rage and disappointment, but there was a hint of pity underneath the loathsome stare she poured on him.

"Caelia, I know you're mad with me," Trystan dared himself to look at his sister. After what he did, he didn't even deserve this opportunity, but Caelia's life might be in danger and this was the only opportunity to warn her about Blitzie and Linc.

"I'm not mad," Caelia scoffed. "I was, for a little while. Then I'm numb. I'm indifferent. I'm cool."

"Caelia, listen…"

"Do you think you're the only one that is hurt by Mom's passing?" Caelia suddenly burst, a sure sign that she wasn't indifferent at all. "I was hurt! I was hurt more than you think! But I didn't go on a rampaging vengeance like you! You're supposed to be the good one, Trystan! Mom brought you up to lead the Blazing Aces! Why did you do this? You're betraying Mom and me, and maybe our grandfather! I don't have the grooming, the skill, or even the desire to lead the Blazing Aces, but you put me in a position to watch it die! Why, Trystan? You want to avenge Mom but you're walking in a path so far removed from Mom's direction! I don't know what else I can do!"

Caelia started to leave but Trystan quickly said, "Caelia, wait! This might be the last time we talk so please, let me say something to you! Please, let me have a moment!"

"I said I didn't know what else I could do for you," Caelia turned back. "I saved your life once. You didn't even say thank you, instead you buried yourself deeper in the same muck I pulled you from."

"I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this for you."

"You think you can do something for me?" Caelia snorted, but otherwise intrigued.

"Listen, I didn't deserve to live. I failed my own mutiny. I legged Chip and left him to die."

"Oh Trystan…" Caelia buried her face in her palm.

"But I'm telling the truth. Chip didn't kill Mom. Blitzie and Linc did."

"So all this time you'd stop at nothing to avenge Mom, then when you're done you're blaming somebody else so you can do your revenge all over again? When will you stop? When you're the only one left?"

"I know it sounds crazy but it's the truth…"

"Crazy? How about stupid? Moronic? Retarded?"

"Caelia, it is the truth…"

"And you know this how?"

"They uh… they told me."

"Oh, sure! 'Hey, we killed your Mom, but you smoked the wrong guy, so we'll just let you know because we can't let the other guy get away with the credit'! You are unbelievable!"

Trystan expected this. He didn't anticipate Caelia to take his argument. Still, he had to warn Caelia that Blitzie and Linc might after her. "As unbelievable as it is, I want you to know that I love you. I love you more than anything. Please watch your back, Caelia. If you still have a desire to join the 15th Avalon Hussars, do it now. Get out of the Blazing Aces on your first opportunity."

"I loved you, Trystan," Caelia said with tears rolling down her face. "I loved you more than anything. But I don't know you anymore."

Caelia left him, and he noticed in the distance Blitzie and Linc were watching them, and flashed a satisfactory smile as Caelia walked away from him. Trystan realized that they deliberately told him because they knew Caelia wouldn't believe him. It was the final insult to his predicament.

But at least he told his sister that he loved her one last time. That was enough.


	41. Chapter 40

**CHAPTER 40**

 **Review Corner**

 **Akalon3001** : I will keep that in mind for future works

 **Ulquiorra9000** : After this chapter I think we know where this story is going

* * *

 _ **New Aragon, Capellan March,  
**_ _ **Federated Commonwealth,  
**_ _ **May 15, 3063**_

Trystan covered his eyes as the drab Union-class dropship kicked up dust, pebbles, and branches during its final descent. The giant sphere hovered clumsily for a while before landing in a thud, creaking and twisting from every section of the hull. Smoke and steam hissed, as if the old relic would crumble just from a hard land. It was fascinating to think how such a crude, outdated technology could pass through Davion's blockade of New Aragon.

The bay door opened with sickening twists of metal, as if the hinges would give in to the uneven hydraulic forces. As the ramp clanged to the ground, Blitzie's _Victor_ led the evacuation of the Blazing Aces. Humberto's _Phoenix Hawk_ was next, followed by Caelia's _Griffin_. Linc's _Centurion_ completed the formation.

Trystan watched Caelia's _Griffin_ disappeared into the dropship, and wondered if he would ever see her again. They had never been apart for roughly 20 years, and the separation tore a huge chunk of his heart. It felt like half of him went missing. He wondered if she felt the same. She didn't seem to put a lot of thought about this event anymore, but time and time again Trystan acknowledged some soft spots in his sister buried underneath her carefree and laid-back attitude.

But most of all he feared for her life. Blitzie and Linc went a great length to remove everybody from the chain of command, and he suspected they would not stop until all traces of the Vandenbergs were erased from the Blazing Aces. Now that Caelia was the last remaining Vandenberg in the unit, soon they would put their crosshair on her head.

His only hope was Caelia's disinterest in the unit, so Blitzie and Linc would leave her alone, or at least delay their action until she could get out of the Blazing Aces.

As the surviving mechs were being secured in the hangar bays, a smaller, better-maintained Leopard-class dropship landed a few meters away from the Union. A jeep rolled from the bay and parked in front of Latoya, who was still on the ground next to Trystan. A grotesquely disfigured man with burnt scars all over his face jumped off the jeep, followed by two thugs holding Sternsnacht Python automatic pistols.

"Latoya, mylady," the grotesque man said with hissing voice. "I've longed to see this day since our days at the Band of the Damned."

"Then what's with the boys with guns?" Latoya scoffed. "Don't you think you are a bit _overprepared_?"

"Standard operating procedure," the man grinned, boasting his kempt teeth. "Where's your other half?"

"Chip didn't make it."

"The old man is dead?" the grotesque man couldn't contain his snigger. "I always thought _you_ would get smoked before _him_." He looked at Trystan, inspecting him thoroughly from head to toe. "So this is my payment? Tck tck, you disappoint me Latoya. This is no fighter. His balls haven't even dropped yet."

"He is the reason Chip got smoked," Latoya replied with a hint of growl in her voice. "If you didn't ask for him, I would've torn his guts apart."

"Ah, a traitor!" the man guffawed. "You do have courage, then. The courage to shoot your own kin from behind when he expected none from you."

Trystan had already opened his mouth, but if anything, whatever he said would've made his position worse. He chose to keep his mouth shut.

"His mech is that Star League era _Thunderbolt_ ," Latoya pointed at Trystan's mech. "It's a decent variant. Not too good, not too bad, just gets the job done. With a little maintenance, it'll serve your purpose."

"An Sd model, I see," the man shifted to get a better look at the _Thunderbolt_. "Don't think such model exists anymore. You know what? I'll consider your debt paid with the _Thunderbolt_. I know somebody who can make it into a star in the arenas."

"So you don't want the boy?" Latoya's eyes twinkled. "Can I kill him then?"

"No. He's just a boy. He won't last long in the arenas," the man cringed at the sight of Trystan. "But I know people who will pay big for him. I can make a fortune selling him to the highest bidder at Port Krinn."

Trystan had heard snippets about Port Krinn, the pirate-controlled city-state in a Periphery world of Antallos, famous for its slavery and human trading. Even for what he had done, this was an undignified end of a mechwarrior. Perhaps death in Latoya's hand would've been more graceful than being a slave for the rest of his life. He should've pulled his trigger during the last stand off. At least he died a warrior's death, and he took Linc with him.

But nothing he could do to change everything.

"Suit yourself. Make sure he will never leave Port Krinn," Latoya huffed and started walking toward her _Caesar_. "Nice doing business with you."

"The pleasure is mine, mylady," the grotesque man sniggered. He turned to Trystan, "Come on, Traitor. Let's get you a new 'career' where you can't stab somebody on the back anymore."

One of the thugs walked up to the _Thunderbolt_ while the other one handcuffed Trystan to the frame of the jeep. The grotesque man jumped in and snapped his fingers. The jeep rolled back inside the Leopard dropship, followed the _Thunderbolt_.

As he was being tied to a post in the hangar, before the Leopard bay door closed, Trystan threw one last gaze at the Union dropship. As soon as Latoya entered the dropship, the bay door closed, and the relic coughed smoke before taking off. The Leopard crews secured the _Thunderbolt_ in a bay and went to their stations.

"Buckle up, Traitor. We're going on a long trip," the grotesque man quipped as he left the hangar area. "Might as well make yourself comfortable."

Trystan doubted he would see the end of the trip. But perhaps that was a good thing.

 **THE END ...**

 **... FOR NOW**

* * *

 **Author's Note** :

If the end feels too abrupt, that's because I originally planned this story to be one giant uninterrupted story from 3061 to Jihad era (3075-ish). But somewhere along the writing my mind got warped and somehow I liked the idea of a crossover. So I changed the course of this story and ended it after Trystan's and Caelia's sophomore year with the Blazing Aces. In my original script this is the time when Trystan stops being a child and starts to grow to be a man, so I think this is a good stopping point.

Like I said, the next adventure of the Vandenbergs will be a crossover so if you're interested in following the Blazing Aces you may need to switch to "Crossover" section. The basic premise is loosely based on "Empires Aflame" (Thank you very much for the copy, **The Colonel**!) where one _misjump_ puts a unit in a whole different universe. I anticipate the crossover to be up by Fall (say, October), if I don't get sidetracked with other projects and one little thing called 'work' :) To get an idea what this story with crossover with, tuned in for the Epilogue next week.

Thank you for reading and thank you even more for reviewing.


	42. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

 _ **CWS Blood Drinker,  
**_ _ **New Oslo Jump Point,  
**_ _ **Clan Wolf Occupation Zone,  
**_ _ **December 19, 3064**_

"Ovkhan, here is the lineup of the Ghost Bear 32nd Attack Cluster you requested."

Star Captain Benten looked at the slender dark man in front of him with disdain. A Wolf Clan solahma infantryman, with nothing stellar in his codex, but in far better physical condition than him. He stood one head taller than Benten, with an afro hairstyle that added an inch to his actual height, with exquisite dark skin that exemplified his well-toned body, in contrast with Benten's own pale and delicate frame. The fact that he was a solahma and assigned as Benten's aide-de-camp made him even more irritated, because he was everything Benten was not, yet they were both the same.

Benten had never risen above his aerofighter peers. He raided Antares for glory, but ended up getting beaten by Star Captain Tyrine McCaig of the Jade Falcon. He took a freebirth as a bondswoman but she, too, escaped his grasp and now she was an aerospace Star Commander in an adjacent Galaxy, leading a capable wing that often crossed path with his own squadron. His aide reminded him of himself: a proud yet mediocre Wolf Clan warrior.

This was the reason he was looking forward to raid Rasalhague in the Ghost Bear occupation zone. His aide reminded him that he was reaching solahma age. He had to pull off something glorious, something spectacular, if he didn't want to dwindle into solahma world like his aide. He made up an exercise excursion for his squadron, but secretly rearranged his flight path to Rasalhague and equipped his squadron with the best weapons possible.

"Point Commander Osiris, you are dismissed," Benten said gruffly as he took the folder from his aide.

"If you need more, let me know," his aide who went by Osiris walked out of his quarter.

Benten reviewed the folder and flipped through the dossier of the Ghost Bear 32nd Attack Cluster, reportedly stationed at Rasalhague at the moment. His lips curled into a smile, reading the glittering record of the mechwarriors of the Ghost Bear. And his smile turned into sinister chuckle as he stopped at the dossier of Candace, a female mechwarrior with a stare much like her totem animal, the indomitable ghost bear of Strana Mechty. How much glorious it could be if he succeeded in Rasalhague, beating a unit of veteran mechwarriors, and taking bondswoman of this fierce warrior to satisfy his demented perversion?

"Ovkhan," Osiris went back into his quarter, disrupting his daydream. "Jump to Rasalhague will commence in 5 minutes. The crews want you on the bridge."

"Splendid," Benten tossed the folder aside and proceeded to the bridge. "Walk with me, Osiris. Glory awaits us at Rasalhague."

Osiris followed Benten like a puppy, and together they walked toward the bridge. The ship's crews were running final checks to make the jump. Rasalhague was less than 30 lightyears away from New Oslo, so within a few minutes they should arrive at Rasalhague jump point.

"Officer on deck!" Osiris announced.

"As you were," Benten continued. "All hands, report."

"We are in the pipe, five by five," one officer replied. "All system nominal. Initiating jump… 30 seconds."

Benten strapped himself on a chair at the back corner of the control room. Osiris took a seat a few steps away from Benten and did the same. The crews initiated a countdown sequence, and in a few seconds the bridge basked in white glory as the K-F Overdrive kicked in.

As the jump seemingly put everything on stasis, Benten ran some battle schemes in his mind to prepare against the Ghost Bears. It was almost unheard of that an aerospace squadron could beat a battlemech unit, but it was not impossible. Strategies on how to beat a battlemech binary, trinary, or even cluster using only aerospace fighters existed in books and papers in the academy. Ironically, the only one that had ever turned theory into reality was Bjorn Jorgensson, the Khan of Ghost Bear.

"Jumping completed, disengaging overdrive in five… four… three…" the ship crew member announced. "Two… One… Disengage."

As soon as the white light dispersed and the ship went back to normal, Benten quickly rose and seized the moment, "Open all communication channels to all Ghost Bear defenders! I will issue a batchall in the name of the Wolf Clan!"

The ship members turned on multiple channels and frequencies to try to reach Rasalhague. But for an uncharacteristically extended period of time, the main screen of the ship kept on static. When communication was not established in 5 minutes, Benten knew something went wrong…

… very, VERY wrong.

"Ovkhan, the Ghost Bear does not respond!"  
"Our radar picked up multiple signals from Rasalhague… none of them is decipherable!"  
"Whoever is down there, they use non-standard scrambler. We are unable to tap into any communication signal in and out-of Rasalhague!"  
"Ovkhan, our GPS system fails to detect our location…"

"What? What did you say?" Benten roared. "Our GPS fails?"

"I do not know how to say this, Ovkhan, but I do not think we are at Rasalhague…"

"Stravag! Then where are we?" Benten felt his heartbeats drummed in his ears.

"I uh…" the crew member tried to find the best answer to Benten's seemingly easy inquiry, but faltered in the end, "I do not know, Ovkhan."

"Kerensky's blood!" Benten stared into the drab-yellow planet in front of the ship. He had never been to Rasalhague, and he didn't know what Rasalhague looked like. If it was not Rasalhague, and the ship's GPS couldn't pinpoint their location, then there was only one explanation. Benten didn't like it, but at this point he didn't have the luxury to choose what he liked.

"Wolf kins, it seems that we have _misjumped_ to an uncharted territory," Benten said cautiously so as not to startle the already jittery crews. "Halt all advances. Give me Engine Room." As somebody from the Engine Room replied, Benten said, "How long until we can jump again?"

"Recharge is two days, Ovkhan," the engineer replied.

"I want you to reroute all energy outlet to replenish the K-F generator. I want to get out of here in two hours!"

"That is impossible, Ovkhan!"

"Do it or I throw you down to the laborer caste! Helm, sweep the vicinity with long range radar! Comm, listen mode only! Do not respond to anything! Osiris, to the war room!"

Benten was about to leave the bridge when the ship crew responded, "Ovkhan, radar picks up a vessel in the edge of the atmosphere. We cannot get a positive ID, but from visual it looks like an Aquarius transport shuttle."

"On screen!" Benten returned to his seat, excited to finally hear a familiar name. Aquarius had not been used for a long time, so he surmised he was at a primitive settlement in uncharted space. But when the image of the Aquarius blew up on the main screen, his eyes bugged out so wide he forgot to blink. It was not an Aquarius at all.

"What in the name?" Benten grimaced. The vessel was roughly the size of an Aquarius shuttle, but it had a head, two pairs of legs, a long tail, a train of menacing teeth, a smorgasbord of weapons all around its hull, and six rocket boosters at its back that propelled the 'thing' through space.

"Is that…" Osiris mumbled incredulously. "…a _dragon_?"

It did look like a dragon, but it was not the dragon in old children fantasy books. It was a _mechanical_ dragon, with armor platings as its hide, cast metal as its teeth and claws, hydraulics as its muscles, and cannons as its weapons. It was the medieval-fantasy version of a battlemech. And instead of a pair of red eyes, the dragon sported a canopy with red plexiglass on top of its head.

Just like the canopy of an aerospace fighter.

Then suddenly it dawned on him: what if the dragon was piloted by a _human_? What if he, Star Captain Benten, piloted that dragon? What if he took that dragon to Strana Mechty and presented it to Khan Vlad? What if the Wolf Clan could mass-produce the dragon into an unstoppable force to conquer the Inner Sphere – and Terra – under Wolf Clan banner? What if, for this sheer dumb luck, he was elected Khan of the Wolf Clan?

This was even better than picking up a fight with the Ghost Bear at Rasalhague.

"Battle stations! All hands, weapons hot! Wait for my signal, then engage at will!" Benten yelled as he rushed to the hangar. "I WANT that dragon!"


End file.
